Umgeni Water sets the record straight about assisting Cape Town

It has come to the attention of Umgeni Water that there has been a great deal of social media interaction concerning the prevailing water crisis in Cape Town said chairperson of the Board of Umgeni Water, Gabsie Mathenjwa.

In these engagements, reference has been made to Umgeni Water, some of which questioned its proposed involvement in Cape Town and, juxtaposed against this, suggestionsof reluctance to assist.

This is contrary to the factual state of affairs.

On 11 December 2017, Umgeni Water received a directive from the Office of Minister of Water and Sanitation, requesting the organisation to immediately investigate possible interventions that would alleviate the plight of consumers in Cape Town.

“Umgeni Water acted in conformance of this directive and in line with its supply chain policy and legislative requirements pertaining to procurement.

“It must be noted that compliance to policies and legislation are extremely important and that there are no shortcuts in attaining this,” Mathenjwa said.

“The relevant procurement processes have now been completed and personnel of Umgeni Water are in a state of readiness to begin preparatory work with staff of the Department of Water and Sanitation and the City of Cape Town for implementation of the preferred solution, a desalination plant in Cape Town.”

Mathenjwa said implementation of this scheme is dependent on the City of Cape Town signing an off take agreement coupled with identification of the appropriate site with adequate electricity supply and access to the reticulation network.

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All parties involved in the project  (namely the City of Cape Town, Department of Water and Sanitation, the preferred service provider and Umgeni Water) will have to sign an overarching agreement confirming roles and responsibilities by all, including confirming and guaranteeing funding arrangements among the parties.

It is undoubtedly appreciated that formalisation of involvement of all relevant parties is of paramount importance for various reasons, including adherence to legislation and compliance to good corporate governance and to also ensure that the product is purchased for reticulation.

“It is worth mentioning that the proposed intervention in Cape Town will not, in any way, adversely affect Umgeni Water’s current customers, in particular in relation to water supply, tariff structures and resource allocation,” said Mathenjwa.

In order to provide context to the institutional arrangement in which water utilities, such as Umgeni Water, operate it is important to remember that the Minister of Water and Sanitation is the Executive Authority and shareholder of all water sector institutions.

In addition, the Minister has oversight over the roles and functions of sector organisation and the Ministry is the custodian of all water resources in South Africa.

Similarly, it is incumbent for both the Minister and Ministry to ensure that access to safe drinking water is both available and within reach.

It is, therefore, not uncommon for the Minister to request that specific work be carried out when challenges occur in water services provision. This generally occurs in the form of directives.

Umgeni Water has successfully executed numerous such directives, both within and outside its operational area.

Umgeni Water has also managed effectively water resources and implemented numerous interventions to both mitigate and manage the effects of drought. Any suggestion to the contrary is devoid of fact.

Examples are management of water resources in the north of Durban when the source of supply, Hazelmere Dam, reached a low of 25% and the implementation of a scheme that transferred water into this dam.

Varying levels of water restrictions, ranging from 15% to a peak of 40%, were successfully implemented at different times, preventing this dam reaching dead storage.

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Presently the Mgeni system, the largest system in Umgeni Water’s operational area that ultimately provides water to an estimated four million consumers, is still experiencing water shortages caused by prolonged drought.

Umgeni Water is leading a Joint Operations Committee that is monitoring and managing potable water supply and distribution.

Measures implemented by the Joint Operations Committee, including mandatory 15% water restrictions, have prevented failure of two large dams in this system.

Umgeni Water has a wealth of expertise, experience and knowledge in drought management and in also identifying, planning, designing, implementing and operating and managing appropriate infrastructure.

“As a caring organisation and significant player in the sector, it is willing to assist where required and when requested. Assistance of this nature has been and will continue to be for the benefit of our country and its people,” Mathenjwa said.

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