Speaking in N’wakhuwani village last week Wednesday during an inspection of a newly completed 130kl steel water storage tank as part of the ongoing water reticulation project in villages around Giyani, Shayi revealed that the long-awaited water treatment plant in Giyani is now complete. “The community of this village will be receiving water from pipeline B from the Nsami water treatment plant.
“The plant is now complete, so we will no longer have issues with water not reaching certain areas,” he said, adding that water will supply the bulk lines that are spread across the municipality. “As part of our approach to finalising the elimination process, we’re beginning to supply water to one community at a time and are now wrapping up this particular community.
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“In a the coming months all of the 24 villages that fall under phase 1 will have reticulated water,” he said. Meanwhile, N’wakhuwani is the latest village in the Greater Giyani Municipality area to receive tap water in their yards directly from the Nsami water treatment works in the ongoing water reticulation project.
On his visit to the village, the district mayor was told that the water reticulation project in the area was practically complete at 99.8%. “Out of the 166 households in this village, I was informed that only two households do not have water yet, and they are working on it to ensure that all households receive water before the end of this week,” he said, instructing the project steering committee chairperson in the village to ensure that the contractor does not leave the site until everything is complete.
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Pule said they have also installed water meters to ensure that those who can pay are compelled to do so. “Of course, not everyone will pay for this service, but you can’t be a principal staying here and not paying for water services,” he said, adding that the district will meet with stakeholders to determine how the service fee will be levied. Commenting on the water service in the village, resident Mavis Hlungwani told the mayor that the newly installed tap water in their yards has greatly benefitted them.
“We used to travel about 7km to the nearest water source, and if we didn’t want to do that, the only option was to fetch it from the nearest stream,” she said, adding that she has livestock that need water every day. “As you can see, I have farm animals that need water every day, so I had to fetch water for the family and the animals,” she said.
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When asked to clarify the number of villages that have been completed so far and those that are left, Pule noted the district has so far managed to complete five villages out of 24 villages that are supposed to receive water in phase 1. “I can confirm that we have already completed five villages, and they receive water daily.
The villages include Ndindani, Homu 14A, Homu 14B, Mhlava Welem, and N’wakhuwani,” he said. Shayi added that there were communities that had been connected to the existing municipal infrastructure (borehole system) while they waited for bulk water pipelines to be constructed in their areas.
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“We wanted to expedite their access to water, rather than waiting for the completion of the bulk line. These communities include Bambeni and Mageva,” he said. He added that the completion of a water reticulation system would not guarantee immediate access to water and would depend on whether the bulk water line was completed as well.
“Over the next two months, we will be handing over completed projects to these communities. However, some communities’ access to water will depend on whether the Lepelle bulk line can deliver water to their areas. “We may finish the reticulation installation, but the community might still not get water if we’re waiting for the bulk line,” he said.
