Over the last year, poor maintenance by the ANC in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) resulted in the Metro wasting more than 13 billion litres of water due to leakages that were not repaired.
This information was gleaned from the response by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Gugile Nkwinti, to a parliamentary question posed by the FF Plus (please see below).
In other words, the Metro wastes more than 36 million litres of water per day. Based on the Metro's own tariffs, the value of the water that has gone to waste amounts to more than R233 million.
While the central region of our country is struggling to recover from the droughts of the last few years, important water resources have been lost due to poor upkeep. The Metro frequently experienced water shortages in 2018 as a result of failing water infrastructure and regular non-payment of the water supplier, Bloemwater.
Mangaung Metro Municipality is the biggest water waster while paying residents have to keep digging deep into their pockets to pay the additional levies implemented with the aim to save water.
If the Metro keeps wasting water by not repairing leakages, its plans to expand water resources are doomed to fail. As the Metro will simply have more water to waste.
Furthermore, the FF Plus takes note of Nkwinti’s statement that a downward adjustment in drought levies (from 20% to 15%) was justified after there was an improvement in the water level of dams in May 2018.
The FF Plus plans to table a motion to the Council and request the Metro to adjust the drought levies so as to offer heavily burdened residents some relief.
The FF Plus will also ask for an audit to be done on the Metro's waterpipe system as soon as possible so that the maintenance work that is urgently needed can be identified, planned and budgeted for.
The time has come for the ANC to be held accountable for its failures in the Free State.
This year, voters have the opportunity to fight back and to close the taps of the ANC tightly by voting for a better South Africa with a multiparty government – and the FF Plus has already shown itself capable of making a contribution and achieving success as part of such a multiparty government. The FF Plus would like to bring about the same kind of success in Mangaung and the rest of the Free State.
Media queries: 082 490 6663
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 3513
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16 NOVEMBER 2018
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 41)
3513. Mr W W Wessels (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Water and Sanitation:
(1) What are the current water levels of the dams that supply water to the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality;
(2) how many litres of water were lost during the 2017-18 financial year in the specified municipality as a result of leakages,
(3) whether he has found that the levels at the specified dams justify changing the current water restriction level; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) whether he will make a statement on the matter? NW4088E
—00O00—
THE MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION
(1) Refer to Annexure A for the current water levels of the dams that supply water to the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
(2) The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality has lost 13 334 248 000 litres of water during the 2017-18 financial year as a result of leakages.
(3) The Caledon-Modder Water Supply System that supply water for the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality experienced significant drought conditions from around 2015 until 2017 seasons. Although the situation has improved a bit, drought conditions are still lingering into this 2018 season. Hence, some good inflows came into the dams of the system, easing the critical state of total dams’ storage from about 44% in May 2017 to about 57% in May 2018. May is the decision month for the system. Therefore, following the 2018 Annual Operating Analysis, the new system storage level justified changing water restrictions from 20% to 15% level.
(4) The Department held a Stakeholders Operation Forum (SOF) meeting, which involve water users from the system, in Mangaung on 4 October 2018, where results of the annual operation analysis, including the new restriction levels, were presented. Publication of a gazette notice for the new restriction levels is being processed.
—00O00—
;
