DWS pleased with water quality and has billion rand upgrades in the pipeline
|Published
Cape Town - The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in the Western Cape said it was pleased with water security and quality in the province, even though challenges such as ageing infrastructure and vandalism still threatened the delivery of services.
Observing National Water Month, the department said yesterday that the province’s dam storages were healthier compared to previous years, and that all river catchments, except for Olifants Doorns, hovered above 60%.
This came as the combined dam levels stood at 65%.
Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa, DWS provincial head, noted that municipalities across the Western Cape performed well according to the 2023 Blue, Green and No Drop reports.
The various reports assess drinking water quality and performance of wastewater management systems, among others.
“With regards to water quality, Western Cape municipalities are proud of the Blue and Green Drop awards held in December last year in Gauteng.
“However, there were those municipalities that did not perform well, and this was only seven out of 25.
“The DWS has invoked Section 194 of the Constitution to assist municipalities that have not met acceptable standards.
“The national and professional authorities are collaborating efforts to provide support and intervention measures. To date, these municipalities have provided recovery plans as remedial action,” said Bila-Mupariwa.
To address issues of vandalism, Boniswa Hene, DWS regulations director, said an anti-vandalism campaign was launched in Knysna earlier this month.
“We continue to provide funding and co-fund infrastructure projects via DWS grants.
“This includes both refurbishment and building new projects, and there are mechanisms in place to monitor the projects funded,” said Hene.
“This year, the Western Cape has allocated millions of rand to fund refurbishment and new construction projects.
“A total of close to R3 billion will be invested over the next three years to fund the budget facility for infrastructure for George and Drakenstein municipalities.
“It will ensure that the water needs of both municipalities that are growing at the fastest rate are met.”
Hene said the department continued to intensify enforcement activities to ensure compliance with the National Water Act, and those who violated it were handed to the National Prosecuting Authority.
“Through our regulations team, we continue to drive enforcement initiatives to ensure municipalities comply with the National Water Act, 1998, and other pieces of legislation.
“No one except the Minister of Water and Sanitation or delegated authority is allowed to authorise water use.”
The national government has set aside March as Water Month under the theme “Water for Peace”.
DWS said the campaign was aimed at educating the public about their responsibility in water conservation initiatives and raising awareness around the need to protect and conserve the country’s water resources.
zolani.sinxo@inl.co.za