By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has lifted the Section 63 intervention in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM).
The minister announced the closure of the special intervention during a meeting with the NMBM Council.
Mchunu visited the province to receive updates and progress reports on water intervention projects in the region.
The metro was placed under the Section 63 intervention early last year to avert Day Zero after facing a high risk of running out of water due to drought, which would have had a dire effect on livelihoods, jobs, the local economy and investment.
Section 63 (2)(B) of the Water Services Act of 1997, (read with section 139 of the Constitution), provides for the Minister of Water and Sanitation to intervene at municipal level and take full control of a service delivery programme in instances were Municipalities fail to provide water services as a basic human right.
Announcing the withdrawal of the intervention programme and exit of the department from the metro, Mchunu said he was satisfied with the progress made in the interventions in the metro to avert Day Zero through various short-, medium- and long-term projects to expand water supply.
However, Mchunu said the current water restrictions imposed on the metro when dams started drying up will remain as gazetted.
He said the municipality is expected, for the next 18 months, to report quarterly to the department on the business transformation progress, with particular focus on water conservation and demand management; improving the level of service, and the implementation of the business turnaround strategy to ensure resilience.
Mchunu lauded the municipality for the progress made in recovering from an imminent Day Zero and addressing all water leaks backlogs.
He further urged the metro to pay more attention to improving their demand and consumption, which has not reduced even during the drought season and “may threaten future water security”.
“We hope that after our exit, the metro does not regress and is able to maintain the status quo with all the interventions that have been put in place,” Mchunu said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Mayor, Gary Van Niekerk said, operations are in place to curb the scourge of vandalism. This includes collaboration with communities, security companies and the South African Police Service.
Van Niekerk said the interventions put in place include emergency water supply and expanding water supply through water tankering, and the new groundwater boreholes constructed and linked to distribution system.
Other interventions include upgrades to the Nooidgedacht Water Treatment Works (Low Level Scheme phase 3), which consist of increasing the supply of treated water from Gariep Dam to a total peak supply capacity of 210 megalitres per day, as well as the desalination of sea water as a long-term goal.