Daily Dispatch

Fix leaking pipes now

SOUTH Africa is in the clutches of the worst drought in more than three decades. Despite knowing for some time with absolute certainty that it was coming, we are ill-prepared.

The disastrous effect on the economy has been well documented and will be felt long after the drought has abated.

Hardest hit provinces include the North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Free State which are in dire straits and parts of which have belatedly been declared disaster areas.

Many parts of the Eastern Cape have so far been spared and have enjoyed good rainfall. But the weather gurus have predicted that our turn will come and we should carefully conserve what we have.

Despite witnessing what the rest of the country is going through, we are not listening. An overview of almost any Eastern Cape city or town reveals treated water pouring from broken street taps, burst pipes and faulty valves.

In some places, such as Grahamstown, a vast amount of treated water is wasted in this way. This city is not alone. It is estimated that South Africa loses almost half its treated water between treatment plants and the intended end users.

The Amatola Water Board has spent millions of rands rushing from municipality to municipality trying to plug leaks in poorly maintained and ageing water systems, many of which need complete refurbishment or replacing.

And water boards in other parts of the country face the same challenges.

Late last year, Cooperative Governance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that municipalities owed these over-burdened water boards – including Amatola – more than R2-billion.

Ironically, that is exactly the amount our water and sanitation department managed not to spend in the current financial year.

Despite the country facing the worst drought in decades, the Treasury has refused to roll the R2-billion over to next year.

This will reportedly put at risk numerous water-related projects, including the long delayed Nooitgedacht water scheme, which is supposed to supply water to the fast expanding Nelson Mandela Bay metro.

It was recently revealed that some R800billion will be needed over the next decade to upgrade dysfunctional water infrastructure countrywide. Where will that money come from? And even if the money was readily available, the department has shown it lacks the capacity to spend it.

It is mind boggling that an essential department can underspend when the need is so great.

The lack of water, like electricity, has been described as one of the biggest constraints on growth and improved livelihoods.

The department faces a massive skills shortage of its own making.

With our sanitation systems in equally poor repair, sewage disasters are adding significantly to our water woes.

Just one example of this is the constant sewage spills into the Great Fish River, a once excellent agricultural and domestic water source for this province.

The drought is upon us and we are in crisis. Not much can be done about that now. But for the next decade, this government – in particular those tasked in every sphere with managing the provision of sanitation and water services – must prioritise improving and securing these crucially important reticulation systems.

We also urgently need to raise awareness of the country’s water scarcity and the need to preserve every drop.

Such small but significant steps will preserve our water resources and assist in managing our waterways and wetlands for the benefit of all the people of this country.

The alternative scenario is too ghastly to contemplate.