The Committee noted and expressed concern at the poor planning by the department since it only reported halfway through the financial year that it did not have the capacity to spend its total allocated budget. Specific reference was made to the Moutse Bulk Water Supply project in Limpopo and the Arcornhoek Bulk Water Supply project in Mpumalanga which would not be able to spend its allocated budget due to poor planning. Concern was further expressed in respect of the implementation at the municipal level to which the DWA responded that they have adopted a more 'hands-on' approach in order to mitigate the challenges experienced at that level. In respect of the delays in the approvals of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), the Committee stated that the Department of Environmental Affairs needed to introduce mechanisms in order to expedite the process since it impacted negatively on service delivery. The Committee encouraged the DWA to improve its relationship with municipalities.