Cape Town – The water affairs department is planning seven new bulk water projects to be

Buyelwa Sonjica

completed in the next three years. Fin24.Com

Though no price has yet been put on the projects, the minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, told a media conference in parliament on Tuesday that ideally her budget should be more than a hundred billion rands over the three years. As it is, she will have to manage with R8bn, R9.1bn and R9.6bn.

Sonjica also spoke about unconventional water augmentation projects, including a network of desalination plants around the coasts.

The first two desalination plants are up and running. One of them on the West coast is simply a refurbishment and updating of an elderly plant, originally built in “the bad old days”.

A second new plant has been built in Sedgefield, outside Knysna. Cornelius Ruiters, a deputy director general in her department, said a desalination plant is also on the cards for solving Cape Town’s problems.

The Berg River dam is expected to provide sufficient additional water only until 2014. Thereafter a number of possibilities are being considered.

The favourite, according to Ruiters, is the idea of using water from the underground Table Mountain aquifer.

The problem here is that it may damage the fynbos on the top of the mountain by depriving it of refreshment. If it proves unfeasible, Ruiters said, the desalination plant is next on the list. Its disadvantage is that desalination is expensive, both in terms of money and electricity.

The seven new bulk water schemes include the Mokolo River augmentation project that will supply water to the Medupi power station in Limpopo.

Domestic water will come from the Mooi-Mgeni transfer scheme, which includes the construction of the Spring Grove dam. “We expect the first water delivery from this initiative will take place by 2013,” Sonjica said.

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