Deputy Chairperson, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware, after the long protracted drought in the Eastern Cape the good rains finally came early in the year, which meant that the drought had finally been broken. I must hasten to say that the drought came at a cost as many dams ran bone-dry, which meant that severe water restrictions had to be imposed.
This also resulted in many job losses in the Gamtoos Valley and other areas. Many people were subjected to higher water charges and municipalities had to cart water at huge costs. The drought relief funding of R86 million allocated by National Treasury was not nearly enough, which meant that many municipalities had to dig deep into their own reserves.
The drought also had a huge effect on economic development, as various irrigation schemes and housing projects were put on hold. The fact that many municipalities suffered from aging infrastructure as well as a lack of operation and maintenance also contributed to the hardship our people had to endure.
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro was allocated R450 million for emergency drought relief, which is being used to bring forward the Nooitgedacht Pipeline Scheme project which will provide much-needed water for Port Elizabeth.
Currently, all the dams in the province are nearly full and it is expected that we will receive normal to average rainfall. During this time of drought we embarked on many creative initiatives to save water such as water conservation and demand management through fixing up leaks.
The investment in rainwater harvesting tanks was also welcomed by many communities. Municipalities were also encouraged to consider alternative water resources, such as the use of groundwater, boreholes, recycling and the re-use of treated wastewater and desalination, as was the case in Ndlambe Local Municipality.
The Minister of Water Affairs and Environmental in her budget speech committed her department to provide leadership on the construction of the Umzimvubu Dam as well as the construction of the Zalu Dam outside Adelaide by 2016 and 2018 respectively.
I am aware that Water Affairs has allocated R1,08 billion over the next three years through its regional bulk infrastructure grant programme. There are currently 16 projects under way in the province across all district municipalities.
Just to mention a few, there is the construction of Ludeke Dam at a cost of R995 million to provide water in the Mbizana area; the completion of the Coffee Bay regional bulk water scheme at a cost of R53 million, which will provide water to communities from Mqanduli to Coffee Bay; as well as the completion of Mncwasa regional bulk water scheme in the Amatola District Municipality area.
During Minister Molewa's visit to Ndlambe Local Municipality in April 2011, she committed her department to the provision of water from the Lower Fish River, which will provide water to Port Alfred and the surrounding areas. Most significantly, this project will ensure that the Thornhill housing project, which was put on hold due to unavailability of water, can now proceed.
I know that Water Affairs has also spent over R400 million on the rehabilitation of important irrigation schemes such as Ncora, Qamata and Gamtoos River Valley, and they are planning to raise the dam wall at the Kouga Dam.
Water is an important catalyst in all aspects of our people's lives. Therefore municipalities are being encouraged to ensure that sufficient budget is set aside through their municipal infrastructure grant funds in their integrated development plans, and to ensure that proper water sector development plans are in place.
Finally, there are various structures in the province, such as the Eastern Cape Water Committee and the provincial water forum, chaired by the hon MEC for local government and traditional affairs, which meet regularly to strategise on water-related matters. Water is a scarce resource and I want to encourage all of us to save every drop of water. I thank you.