In pipeline: R100bn is what fixing supply will cost you

South Africa is faced with massive water scarcity but it is on course to address this with 14 major national water infrastructure projects to the value of R100 billion designed to secure supply.

The projects were announced yesterday by Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina during a colloquium organised by the Progressive Business Forum as part of the ANC’s 113th birthday anniversary celebrations in Cape Town.

According to Majodina, the giant infrastructure projects included the R42 billion second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project to supply additional water to Gauteng and other provinces. They are scheduled to be completed around 2029.

Second phase of project

Another is a R28 billion construction of a new dam and transfer tunnel on the uMkhomazi River in KwaZulu-Natal to supply additional water to eThekwini and surrounding municipalities.

Another is a R6.5 billion project to raise the wall of the Clanwilliam Dam in the Western Cape and R750 million to raise the wall of the Tzaneen Dam in Limpopo.

Her statement came as a series of community protests demanding water swept through the country.

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This week the North West’s Ditsobotla local municipality faced protests during which residents closed the Lichtenburg-Klerksdorp road with burning barricades demanding water.

Majodina said despite the challenges, South Africa’s raw water supply was currently in balance with existing demands on a national scale.

But the minister noted localised water scarcity had hit Nelson Mandela Bay, Cape Town, Gauteng and eThekwini and uMkhomazi.

Localised water scarcity

She also noted the increase in non-revenue water.

“Through massive water construction projects the department is turning South Africa into a construction site with billions of investments.

“Through these interventions we seek to contribute to the attainment of shared growth and prosperity,” Majodina said.

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She said water and sanitation availability could be both an instrument to foster unity and sustainable communities and a tool for economic development.

South Africa is one of the 30 most water-scarce countries in the world and its demand for water is increasing as a result of economic and population growth.

SA’s average water consumption is 218l per capita per day, compared to the international average of 173l per capita per day.

SA’s average water consumption

“Already, 75% of the available surface water has been captured in dams, and the remaining opportunities for capturing surface water are very expensive,” she said.

Other challenges needing urgent action include water losses, old and aging infrastructure, illegal connections, illegal mining and servitude encroachment, the impact of climate change, vandalism, lack of enforcement of by-laws, lack of adherence to the user-pay policy and water tank mafias.

“All these factors conspire to impose a suffocating constraint on the water sector,” Majodina said.

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To ensure sustainable management of water resources is a balancing act – meeting current water needs without compromising future water needs – was required.

“Sustainable management of water resources and access to safe water and sanitation are prerequisites for unlocking economic growth and productivity.”

Inadequate infrastructure was holding back the provision of water and sanitation services.

Inadequate infrastructure

For this reason, the private sector had to play a role in helping to address the infrastructure backlog.

“Together with the private sector we will embark on innovative and alternative service delivery approaches anchored on public-private partnerships.”

Areas that the private sector could also participate in were to provide water treatment solutions in their local areas and to utilise their corporate social investment programmes to help expand access to water and sanitation services in identified communities, the minister added.

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