Water ‘master plan’ needed

The water and Sanitation Minister has called on the Eastern Cape government to create a provincial “water master plan” to supply thousands of desperate people.

Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and her deputy, Pam Tshwete, led a national delegation yesterday to meet Buffalo City Metro mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and several provincial government officials late yesterday.

Addressing the media earlier at BCM’s East Bank water treatment site, Mokonyane said there was a 30% backlog in sanitation in BCM, which was mostly in the rural areas of the metro.

“We will discuss with the provincial government that they should eventually have a water master plan because they don’t have it,” she said.

“Almost 2% of the communities are unserved with water in BCM but there are interim interventions such as water tanks doing water distributions.”

Asked about the ongoing water shortage crisis affecting parts of the metro, she said there had been attempts to provide water but they were not sufficient.

Kayser’s Beach, Needs Camp and Ncera villages are among the affected areas.

Amatola Water chief executive officer Lefadi Makibinyane said the problem could be a result of infrastructure failures.

Last week police fired rubber bullets at residents as they protested over water shortages in the New Rest and Ezigodweni areas.

Technical teams from Amatola Water were sent to the troubled areas on Wednesday to investigate the cause of the water crisis.

Makibinyane said they were still waiting for a report.

BCM mayor Zukiswa Ncitha said the metro was doing its best to truck water to affected residents.

“This was never budgeted for and it came out of the blue but we are doing the best that we can.

“We know it doesn’t satisfy them but that’s what we can afford as of now,” she said. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za