KZN at risk of Severe Water Shortages

Durban and Pietermaritzburg are at risk of severe water shortages in the next two years, Water and Environment Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Monday.

Umgeni Catchment Area

“A recently completed water reconciliation strategy study has shown that supply from the Umgeni River is already stressed by the rapid economic growth in the eThekwini and Msunduzi municipalities and areas on the immediate north and south coast,” Sonjica told delegates at a provincial water summit in Durban.

She said water supply in the eThekwini municipality, which incorporates Durban, and the Msunduzi municipality, which incorporates Pietermaritzburg, was at risk until the Spring Grove Dam, to be constructed in Mooi River in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, was finished.
“These areas will be at risk until the completion of the dam in 2012. Therefore, should a drought be experienced in Umgeni River catchments over the next two years, shortages may occur.”

Sonjica said the situation would be managed through water supply restrictions.

The aim of the summit was to understand South Africa’s water challenges. Provincial summits would be followed by a national one, she said.

Recent studies showed that more than four million people in South had no access to clean water. In KwaZulu-Natal, 400 000 people had no access to clean water and over a million had no proper sanitation.

Addressing delegates, the department’s deputy director general Dr Sizwe Mkhize said Durban and Pietermaritzburg were lucky there had been no drought, as water demand already far exceeded supply.

It emerged during the summit that KwaZulu-Natal received more rain compared to other provinces and that it failed to utilise this advantage.

Sonjica said her department was concerned about the high levels of water loss in South Africa.

“It has been reported that in some areas the water losses are as high as 35-40 percent. This is totally unacceptable as water is a limited commodity and wise use of water can extend the benefits derived from a drop of water.”

She urged areas such as eThekwini to re-use treated effluent.

“Since unacceptably high levels of water losses and unaccounted for water are prevalent in the eThekwini metropolitan area, the re-use of treated effluent must be implemented by the metro and other municipalities as a matter of urgency to alleviate the situation.”

Sonjica described municipal water treatment problems as a ticking time bomb. Municipalities needed to provide good quality consistently.

Her department was helping the Msunduzi municipality and uMgungundlovu district municipality to upgrade their sewerage systems and trying to deal with the illegal use of water.

“Our department remains committed to taking action against unlawful water use. We need to discourage unlawful acts for the benefit of all that depend on our scarce water resources.”

They were working with the police and National Directorate of Public Prosecutions to address water-related crimes.

“Water availability and management must feature very strongly in the development strategies of all sectors.” – Sapa IOL