By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu has blamed municipalities for poor water provision to communities, which has hit many provinces, especially Gauteng.
Mchunu made the remarks at the ANC’s three-day national executive committee meeting in Boksburg on Monday.
The minister said it is a well-known fact that South Africa is a water-scarce country.
“Some of the problems in Gauteng municipalities, particularly Tshwane and Joburg, it was a result of a combination of factors. We were affected by the absence of an energy supply for more than four hours. People continued to use water in a normal way hence reservoirs naturally got depleted.”
“We noticed that consumption in Gauteng swung up as a result of hot conditions,” said Mchunu.
The province’s three metros have been battling with erratic water supply over the past month due to storm-damaged infrastructure and a sudden rise in temperatures.
Taps have continued to run dry in many areas across Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni over the past two weeks.
Mchunu said all three metros are in the process of upgrading their water infrastructure.
“We want to push them to replace their pipes because some of their pipes are old.”
He said that his department had engaged with municipalities and the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs to help waterboards work beyond water reticulation. He said last year they started upskilling workers at various municipalities in Gauteng to help them manage their water better, especially during upswing of water usage, which was detected in August in Gauteng. He said they had also been involved in trying to eradicate illegal water connections and introduced water shifting.
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Video Courtesy of MYANC.