Water and Sanitation Minster, Nomvula Mokonyane, says there's only a 43% water reliability in municipalities deemed priority municipalities by government.
Speaking in Grahamstown on Friday, Minister Mokonyane, said the remaining 57% reported that they do not have reliable services, "meaning that they experience service interruptions for more than 2 consecutive days and more than two weeks in total per year."
She said government had set a target of 90% percent for the provision of reliable water supply to South Africans by 2019.
"Therefore to achieve this 90% target for reliability within 5 years requires an improvement of 10% per annum. This will require a major effort and commitment in terms of the management, operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure and the provision of new infrastructure," Mokonyane said.
She said government's "Back to Basics" support plans must, as was done in Makana, therefore have a focus on:
"Addressing households that do not have access to operational water and sanitation systems;
"Failed systems;
"Operations and maintenance;
"Aged and new infrastructure;
"Water security;
"Improved governance including capacity and institutional aspects.
"With the good work already done in Makana and with sustained effort, these targets should not be difficult," Mokonyane added.
Mokonyane, who met the Makana Municipality yesterday, said that the water supply to the Municipality had been stabilised.
This followed years of interrupted water supply due to among other things, aging infrastructure and a lack of maintainence.
"Through quick intervention by the Department, working very closely with the Municipality of Makana, the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee (PICC), the Office of the Premier, the Provincial departments of CoGTA, Planning & Treasury through its Implementing Agent the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and Amatola Water Board, a rapid diagnosis was conducted to investigate the cause of the interruptions and to develop solutions for a water services delivery turnaround," Mokonyane said.
Mokonyane said "with the facilitation assistance of DWS, supported by the MEC: Local Government and the Office of the Premier, the Amatola Water Board was appointed by the Makana to stabilisethe bulk water supply system."
"Initial efforts of the Intervention were, and continue to be, focussed on addressing crippling supply challenges experienced by Grahamstown in particular. The focus is however now shifting to the greater Makana, with the recent work undertaken in Alicedale with the upgrading of the Waste Water Treatment Works," she added.
The Water and Sanitation Minister said "with the good work already done in Makana and with sustained effort" government's target of a 90% reliable water supply to households, should not be difficult.
