Better water management
Gordhan expects answers
SOUTH African municipalities will have one week to report to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs on the state of water supply in their areas.
The interministerial committee on drought‚ led by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan‚ told reporters in Pretoria yesterday that demand management was needed to mitigate the country’s recent water challenges.
The government is preparing to use secure water storage facilities such as dams to replenish those that are strained.
The drought‚ which has led to five provinces being declared disaster areas‚ has hit the economy and increased the burden on SA’s water systems. A number of municipalities have imposed water restrictions.
KwaZulu-Natal‚ the Free State‚ the North West‚ Northern Cape and Mpumalanga have been declared drought disaster areas. However‚ KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga have not received funds and assistance because their droughtdisaster declarations have not yet been gazetted. “Municipalities must set aside 7% of their budgets for maintenance of water infrastructure. All mayors throughout the country have been given one week to report back to the department on what the status is regarding drought in their area‚” Gordhan said.
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said while the current situation put pressure on the water systems supplying Gauteng‚ the challenge was one of “water scarcity” and not drought.
“We are an arid country and we experience drought at a cyclical level every 10 years.”
She said 173 of the 1 628 water supply schemes nationally‚ serving 2.8% of the country’s households‚ were affected by water scarcity.
Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said the current weather conditions‚ caused by the El Niño phenomenon‚ were likely to last until March next year.
Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana said farmers would be assisted through financing from the Land Bank and the Industrial Development Corporation. — BDLive