Minister Mchunu responds to water supply challenges in uThukela and uMzinyathi District Municipalities
After having previously visited Mhlumayo Village in uThukela District Municipality and Kranskop town in uMzinyathi District a year ago and be informed of water supply challenges in the two areas, Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu returned to the village and introduced the contractor who will dig boreholes in order to address water supply challenges in the area and other surroundings.
On 20 and 21 November 2023 Minister Mchunu, accompanied by Deputy Minister, Judith Tshabalala went back to those communities to reveal interventions that he had promised them and handed over water supply intervention projects to address water provision challenges being experienced by the two water service authorities, uThukela and uMzinyathi districts.
As part of the two-day visit, Minister Mchunu also commissioned two boreholes at Kranskop Water Treatment Woks to augment water supply at Kranskop town and the surrounding areas in uMzinyathi District Municipality.
The Minister met with Inkosi Sithole of Mhlumayo village and the neighbouring chiefs who are currently experiencing water supply shortages at their villages. Mhlumayo and the surrounding villages of Oqungweni, Bhaza and Ghobo, are supplied with water by the Tugela Estates Water Treatment Plant which has a design capacity of 1.4 million litres per day. The water treatment works abstracts from the Thukela River and is supplemented by a borehole and treats water to potable standards.
However, the treatment plant is currently operating at 0.8 million litres per day due to equipment failures and therefore has insufficient water to meet current and growing demands. A production borehole was created to augment the Tugela Estates plant, and this has increased water supply to the areas by 432 kilolitres per day.
The additional boreholes at Mhlumayo will have a significant impact on meeting current shortfalls in the area supplied from the water treatment plant. This will result in new water supply to approximately 4 300 people in the area at 100 l/capita/day.
The Kranskop Water Treatment Plant has a design capacity of 2 Ml/d and supplies the Kranskop Town and the surrounding areas. The plant abstracts raw water directly from boreholes and treats it to potable standards.
Due to vandalism in the area, only two of the eight boreholes were operational resulting to the plant operating at a low level of 0.5 million litres per day. This led to the intervention by the Minister Mchunu to install two new boreholes to restore supply to the affected communities.
The Kranskop water treatment plant is now able to hold 2.2 million litres of drinking water – which is adequate for the needs of Kranskop town and surrounding areas in Wards 17 and 19.
Following additional boreholes, Kranskop plant is estimated to serve 525 more consumers in Kranskop and the surrounding areas with fresh water.
Minister Mchunu has promised more water projects that will bring more water supply in Msinga, under uMzinyathi District Municipality.
For more information, contact Wisane Mavasa Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation on 060 561 8935.
