Limpopo Department of Education on a massive roll-out of School Water and Sanitation Provisioning Programme

In the quest to fulfill our constitutional mandate of providing basic educational infrastructure that creates conducive environment for effective teaching and learning, the Limpopo Department of Education has embarked on a massive roll out of the provisioning of water and sanitation programme.

Rest assured that this department will never forsake its Constitutional mandate of providing basic educational infrastructure that is meant to create, safe and healthy conducive environment. We will do this within the limitations of the available budget.

The programme covers at least three hundred and seventy four (374) schools across the Province. It should be noted that the projects alluded to above are at an implementation stage and will be ready for use by thousands of both our beneficiary learners and educators who were previously exposed to unhygienic and unsafe sanitation facilities.

In terms of Water Provisioning, one hundred and twelve (112) schools are being provided with water facilities which involve the drilling and equipment of boreholes, provision of water tanks on steel water tank stands and internal water reticulation within the school yard, as well as provision of hand-washing water facilities in the toilets. The cost of providing water to these schools is R45 million.

In terms of the provision of Sanitation facilities, two hundred and sixty two (262) schools are being provided with enviroloo toilets, the number of toilet blocks per school depending on both the learner and educator population (enrolments). A total number of four thousand and two (4002) enviroloo toilet seats are being provided through this programme, benefiting about one hundred and forty one thousand (141 000) learners. The cost of providing sanitation facilities at these schools is about R250 million (R248 124 000.00).

Breakdown of the provision of basic services per district

Water provisioning

Sanitation Provisioning
 

Programme Status

The projects alluded to above are all at construction stage (contractors are on site) and some are at the stage of completion. On average, the projects are at fifty percent completion. There will be projects which will be completed by the 31^st of May 2013, but the majority of projects will reach practical completion by Mid-June and ready for commissioning.

It should be noted that these are standalone projects, that is, this programme focuses on the provision of either water or sanitation or both, without classrooms, administration blocks etc.

The Mvula Trust and The Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) have been contracted as implementing agents for this programme. CSIR is contracted to service Mopani and Vhembe Districts, whilst The Mvula Trusts operates in the Waterberg, Capricorn and Sekhukhune Districts.

Embedded sanitation and water projects

There are toilet and water projects embedded within bigger projects, where in addition to the building of schools (additional classrooms at existing schools and new schools) the department is also providing sanitation and water. The department has contracted The Limpopo Department of Public Works and the Independent Development Trust as Implementing agents of these projects, that is, providing sanitation and water, in addition to classrooms and other facilities.

Embedded Sanitation and Water Projects per implementing agent

These projects are at procurement stage, and will be implemented during this (2013/14) financial year.

Conclusion

Therefore,  in  total  by  the  end  of  this  financial  year,  the  Limpopo  Department  of Education shall have addressed water and sanitation challenges in Limpopo schools as follows:

Working together we can do more in providing quality education.

For more information please contact:
Pat Kgomo
Cell: 072 573 0888