Fix ailing metro infrastructure

TODAY the Nelson Mandela Bay council will debate a proposal to hike water tariffs.

The move could see the average household pay substantially more for water from this month if drastic measures are not taken to reduce usage.

Despite public outcry over the proposed tariffs, with its majority in council, it is unlikely that the DA-led coalition will lose its bid.

Currently, a household using 24kl of water a month pays R279. If today’s vote is successful that amount will increase to R314 for 24kl.

The point, according to the metro, is to deter water wastage and to ensure that consumption drops by at least 15%.

If this does not happen by the end of January you would be charged R483 per month for 24kl and up to R59 for each kilolitre over the limit.

Announcing the proposed tariffs on Tuesday, mayor Athol Trollip promised that the poor would be shielded from these tariffs and that the additional financial burden would be carried by those who already paid.

It can never be disputed that South Africa is in the middle of a water crisis.

This crisis demands of all of us, ultimately, to be self-accountable, to take responsibility to do far more to reduce consumption.

It is therefore understood that the metro is under immense pressure to act fast before our taps run dry.

However, before approving the tariffs today, council must consider some pertinent issues.

Most crucial perhaps is the fairness of charging more for usage in a city where millions of rands’ worth of water is wasted through leaks that go for days and sometimes, weeks before they are fixed.

In this regard the metro must put forward a comprehensive plan to deal ultimately with the ailing infrastructure to which a significant amount of losses are attributed.

Second, while consumers cannot escape the financial responsibility that comes with making the city function, charging already overburdened middle class households, battling to keep up with the cost of basic needs, won’t work.

It is unsustainable and most likely will not resolve our water problems.