Water crisis: Billions down the drain

Water crisis: Billions down the drain

Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu has admitted that despite R60 billion in grants being allocated to municipalities every year to maintain water infrastructure, the water crisis has deepened.

Mchunu said they have taken measures to improve the quality of water and the quality of effluent wastewater treatment works.

However, progress has been limited as problems continue to persist in municipalities regarding water quality and collapsing water infrastructure.

Mchunu said the Blue, Green and Drop reports released last December showed water infrastructure and wastewater services have declined in the past 10 years.

They identified three areas which have contributed to the decline in the quality of water.

This included lack of skills, lack of maintenance of the water infrastructure, and the weak billing and revenue collection system.

“This decline in the delivery of municipal water services has taken place despite very high levels of support from the national government to municipalities, including more than R60bn per annum in grants for water and sanitation infrastructure and for free basic water for the indigent, as well as substantial technical, financial and other capacity building support.

“This indicates that financial support is necessary but not sufficient to turn around the decline, and structural reform of the municipal water services function is also required,” said Mchunu.

Mchunu was replying to a written parliamentary question from Economic Freedom Fighters member Mathibe Mohlala.

Mohlala wanted to know what interventions were taken by Mchunu and his department on the decline of the water quality and collapsing water infrastructure.

Mchunu said while they acknowledge the challenges in the water sector, the solution was not for national government to take over the functions of water services in municipalities.

They need reforms in the sector to ensure that municipalities do have functioning water infrastructure and are able to deliver quality water.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile said recently that his boss, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has appointed to lead a task team on water.

They will be visiting crisis ridden in the next few weeks.

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