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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR ORAL REPLY
QUESTION NO (33
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08 MAY 2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 11)
(33. Mr M P Jacobs (ANC-FS) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs:
Whether she has put any measures in place to address the situation
where communities do not have access to water from the dams that are
nearer to them, whereas only (a) farmers and (b) far-away industrial
areas benefit from the dams; if not, why not; if so, what measures?
CO274E
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REPLY:
Yes, the Department has put in place a number of measures (indicated
below) to address the situation where communities do not have access
to water from the dams that are nearer to them.
1. Implementing a number of Bulk Infrastructure projects, through the
Departmentâs Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) Programme
Currently, an amount of R364.8 million has been allocated for the
2012/13 financial year for six RBIG projects utilising water from
single purpose dams with the aim of providing water services to
communities. Such projects are allocated within three provinces,
namely; one in the Eastern Cape, four in KwaZulu-Natal and one in
the North West. The details of these projects are attached in
Annexure A.
2. Developing a comprehensive study to identify all communities and
potential projects that are in the vicinity of any single purpose
dam or under-utilised dam owned by an organ of state
The Department is undertaking a study to identify any communities
that could be serviced by single purpose or under-utilised dams
that are owned by any government institutions or organ of state.
The study has mapped all such dams on the Departmentâs Geo-Database
System and has compared these dams to communities without water
services. However, the completion of the comprehensive study may
still take some time due to the following requirements.
⢠Assessments of existing water utilisation of dams identified.
⢠Identification of infrastructure or projects needs through
appropriate scoping and feasibility studies.
⢠Securing access to water from the dam through the water
allocation process (i.e. water user validation, compulsory
licensing etc).
⢠Discussion and negotiations with the relevant Water Services
Authority and other key stakeholders a total infrastructure plan
(source to tap, tap to source)
In order to accelerate service delivery, the study will produce an
interim report within the next 2-3 months where a number of
proposed additional projects in key priority areas will be
identified and defined.
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3. Giving priority to the identification and funding allocation of
additional projects through RBIG
Based on the interim findings of the comprehensive âSingle Purpose
Studyâ, the Department will endeavor to initiate additional
infrastructure projects. The intension is that as soon as these
potential additional projects are identified, priority will be
given to allocating funding through the RBIG for their
implementation over the next few years. These priority projects
will also be included in the additional funding bid that will be
submitted to National Treasury in the latter part of the current
financial year.
4. Developing a re-active procedure to deal with any application for
water by a community leaving near a dam which is built on private
land
The identification and proactive approach of addressing community
water service needs from dams built on private land can be very
difficult and time consuming. It is estimated that there are
thousands of farm and mine dams that are built on private land. The
approach that has been adopted by the Department is that if a
community or Water Services Authority has identified the need or
potential for providing water from such dams to adjoining
communities, the Department will assist the relevant Water Services
Authority to gain access to such water, provided it is viable and
the most appropriate solution. In this regard. the Department will
soon develop a process and procedure on how to address and deal
systematically and effectively with such situations.
In conclusion, it should also be noted that the Department is
experiencing two major challenges and/or constraints in dealing with
the issue of making water available to communities without water
services from adjacent dams. Such challenges are (a) the Department
does not have access to funds to allocate to the development of
reticulation/ distribution schemes and (b) In the event of a dam being
privately owned privately (on private land), the process to gain
access to the water maybe lengthy and challenging.
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