The Department had indicated that, based on a continuous strategic assessments in consultation with water services authorities, provinces such as Gauteng, Western Cape and Northern Cape as well as some municipalities in Free State were well on their way to wiping out all historic backlogs to water access with the housing backlog remaining the only outstanding challenge (with associated basic services). However, the majority of district and some local municipalities in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo would face an uphill battle to meet the targets of wiping out backlogs. Notwithstanding a special bulk infrastructure program which was initiated and was being administered by the Department of Water and Affairs to support construction of regional bulk infrastructure, the estimated total funding required for the bulk infrastructure was over R60 billion.