Durban — The Department of Water and Sanitation has promised to tackle long-term solutions for KwaZulu-Natal as municipalities continue struggling to provide clean, potable water to residents.
This is according to the department's spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, who was speaking during a television interview with eNCA on Sunday.
Parts of KZN have been facing water shortages because of the declining water levels and the April floods which destroyed the infrastructure.
Communities were provided with water tankers and water trucks as temporary solutions. However, there have been numerous reports of communities raising concerns about shortages and the unavailability of water. This led to service-delivery protests.
Ratau said in the engagements with the municipalities, the minister was unimpressed by the temporary measures across the country.
He said temporary measures were expensive and unsustainable.
“These measures have to be for a specific period and that's only because there is a particular need at the time. But it cannot be regarded as a longterm solution and the cost is huge.
“Secondly, it gives a false sense of comfort to the residents. This is why you find communities protesting because they get used to having water tankers. Therefore, all projects need to be completed and provide reliable solutions with the required infrastructure that will operate and be maintained on an ongoing basis in a manner that will ensure optimal operation,” said Ratau.
He said although it was difficult to state whether the major infrastructure problems were due to floods, it had created an opportunity not to only repair infrastructure but to build for the long term.
“Looking at the type of floods we experienced, it is not easy to separate the cause of damage.“
Ratau further stated that the regional bulk, water support and municipal infrastructure fund grants needed to be aligned to a particular outcome to bring water to the people of KZN.
He said the department had noted that the issues of skills, project management and monitoring were crucial.
“Part of what leads to these projects not being completed within budget and within time includes the issue of project monitoring and management. This is because we don’t have the necessary skills. We would need input, particularly from the private sector, to review water boards. Municipalities must take it upon themselves to attract the necessary skills and to actually retain those skills once they are there in the system,” said Ratau.
He further urged municipalities to keep communities informed on progress to avoid miscommunication.
On Friday, the department's minister, Senzo Mchunu, said municipality representatives must stop taking pride in providing temporary services such as water tankers and Ventilated Improved Pit toilets (VIP).
Meanwhile, a few months ago, the parliamentary committee accused the Department of Water and Sanitation of underspending by R1.6 billion in relation to Umgeni Water due to non-submission of project documentation.
It also stated that there were some key posts within the department that had not been filled.
Standing Committee on Appropriations chairperson Sfiso Buthelezi said apart from denying the citizens critical service delivery, this was undermining the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, localisation and job creation.
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