The Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu says they will put pressure on the eThekwini metro in KwaZulu-Natal to urgently address water problems in the city. Residents in some areas have been without water for about three months.
Mchunu says the city needs to build resilience to its water supply system in light of flood risks.
“We are supplying raw water to eThekwini more than the license requires, which on its own is a problem. This in the main is due to the water losses; the amount of water eThekwini loses. So that’s the first thing that needs to be fixed, seal the system, improve the supply and improve efficiency so that there is reliable water supply to everyone in eThekwini.”
VIDEO: Angry Verulam residents protests demanding water be restored to the area:
Public consultations
The Department of Water and Sanitation says it will hold a series of public consultations on the amendment of the National Water Act and Water Services Act across the country in an effort to seek inputs from interested parties.
The amendments of the two legislations will strengthen the role of the department in addressing socio-economic challenges facing the country. This is to ensure that the country’s water resources are managed and protected while promoting equity and redressing past imbalances.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the aim is to gather the comments necessary to bring about legislation that will ensure equitable distribution of water for all and optimise access and use of water and sanitation.
The department says the first public consultation will take place in Upington, Northern Cape, next week Tuesday, and this will be followed by other consultations in all the provinces.
