With reference to his reply to question 2100 on 28 June 2023, which outlines the existing regulatory frameworks and enforcement measures, (a) what are the reasons that the measures have proven ineffective in holding municipalities accountable for their negligence, (b) what specific steps of intervention will he take to address the systemic failures that allow municipalities to disregard their obligations and (c) how will he ensure that the measures result in tangible improvements and the prevention of further contamination?
a) The root cause for most municipalities being non-compliant is poor management and leadership that do not prioritise budgets for maintenance and operation; as well as poor billing and revenue collection leading to deterioration of infrastructure. Non-adherence to standard operating processes for drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment is caused by municipalities failing to hire the necessary staff with the correct ...
(a) How often do water treatment facilities in the Republic use the (i) green, (ii) blue and (iii) no-drop tool to monitor the quality of treated water and ensure compliance with national standards and (b) what measures have been taken to improve the effectiveness of the specified tools as water quality assessment tools in the Republic?
a) The Green, Blue and No Drop reports are released every two years after the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducts comprehensive assessments of Water Treatment Works and municipal water distribution systems as well as wastewater systems in the country. Interim reports which are progress reports are released in the alternate year. The progress reports focus on the progress of municipalities in ...
Whether his department has conducted an investigation into the failures of the Emfuleni Local Municipality to address the infrastructure defects and collection issues in the municipality, which have hindered the ability of the municipality to settle its debt with Rand Water; if not, why not; if so, what actions has his department taken?
Yes, The Minister of Water and Sanitation invoked Section 63 of the Water Services Act (108 of 1997) in July 2021 and subsequently appointed Rand Water as the Implementing Agent (IA) to conduct the assessment and implement the necessary intervention to gradually address challenges. The Water and Sanitation Masterplan was compiled with the implementation protocol to guide with infrastructure management, refurbishment, upgrades, operation and ...
(1)Whether his department has been informed that the residents of the Port Edward and Banners Rest areas in the Ugu District Municipality in the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal have been without an adequate water supply for extended periods of time due to inefficiencies at the Umtamvuna Water Treatment Plant and alleged illegal water connections, thus limiting the local authority’s ability to provide water to the specified communities and that raw sewerage is currently running into the streets of certain areas within the specified residential areas, including the local lagoon and into the ocean; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) whether he and/or his department intends taking any measures to intervene in this regard; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether he will make a statement on the matter?
1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is aware of water supply challenges being experienced in the Ugu District Municipality (DM) on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The water demands in the Umtamvuna water supply system exceed the available treated water primarily due to a shortage of power to pump and treat sufficient water. Due to constraints in the power grid in the area ...
(1)Given the fact that the residents of three municipal towns in the Blue Crane Route have been battling a deluge of sewage leaks in the past five years, affecting critical service centres such as clinics, and threatening both human and environmental health in KwaNojoli, Cookhouse and Pearston, what steps has his department taken to address the specified situation;
(2) whether he intends to lay criminal charges against officials and politicians responsible for the ongoing human rights violations flowing from these sewage leaks; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has taken steps to address the various complaints received in relation to sewage leakages affecting Blue Crane Route Local Municipality (BCRLM) communities. These have been investigated and the DWS in its regulatory role, has taken the following actions:
- Issued a Directive dated 31 October 2019 for the failing Somerset East sewage pump station.
- Notice of Pollution dated ...
What (a) factors has his department found to be the main reasons for the deterioration of the water and sanitation systems in the large metros since the award-winning days of the eThekwini Municipality in 2014 (details furnished) and (b) plans has he put in place to turn the declining situation around?
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), has found the main reasons for the deterioration of the water and sanitation systems are:
- Infrastructure is in a poor condition, caused by a lack of maintenance, which is in turn caused by non-prioritization of budgets for maintenance and operations as well as poor billing and revenue collection, which are in turn caused by poor leadership and ...
In light of the fact that for the past two financial years his department has recorded underspending on the grants and transfers allocated to the local sphere of government for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure, what strategies and/or steps does he intend to implement to eradicate underspending by the local government in order to enable the provision of water and sanitation services to communities?
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has put measures in place to prevent underspending on the grants and transfers allocated for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure. Some of the strategies and/or steps includes the following:
- Collaboration with Implementing Agents to address challenges emanating from Supply Chain Management.
- Reprioritising the budget towards projects with acceleration plans and effective contract management.
- DWS is ...
Whether his department has taken any action to assist the Lesedi Local Municipality to deal with the massive sewage leaks and spillages that have been ongoing for the past 18 months; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS)has sent a Notice of Intention to issue a Directive in terms of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) to the Lesedi Local Municipality in relation to the operations and maintenance of Devon Waste Water Treatment Works. In addition, a non-compliance letter was issued to the municipality in terms of the 2022 Green Drop audit findings. ...
In light of the fact that the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, in his 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA), committed his government to eradicate the backlog of water use licence applications and reduce the turnaround time to only 90 days, what total number of (a) water use licence applications were approved since 10 February 2022 and (b) those approved, were for previously disadvantaged communities?
a) 791 water use licence applications were approved since 10 February 2022
b) 198 of the 791 water use licence applications were issued to Historically Disadvantaged Individuals.
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Considering that metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng are facing major water supply issues from the Rand Water, with some households not receiving water for weeks, what measures have been put in place to curb the shortage of bulk water supply from the Rand Water, specifically in preparation for the summer months?
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Rand Water, working with all Water Service Authorities (WSA) within the Gauteng Province, have put in place the following measures to curb shortages of bulk water in the province:
- Rand Water commissioned the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant on 31 August 2023. The Zuikerbosch WTW will provide an additional 150ML/d into the water supply system and WSAs ...
