Water shortages: R100bn being spent but Gauteng will have to wait till 2028 for more relief

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is working on meeting the rapidly increasing demand for water in a country scarce on the resource.

Dormant water projects have been kickstarted in recent years after infrastructural upgrades suffered massive delays, sometimes up to a decade.

The DWS noted that they currently have 14 major water projects underway nationally with a combined value of R100 billion.

The scope of the projects includes more bulk water supply, higher dam walls, and expanding waste treatment plants.

Lesotho Highlands Phase Two

Completed in 2004, phase one of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will be shut down in October for six months for technicians to perform vital maintenance.

ALSO READ: Water scarcity concerns eased amid Lesotho water project maintenance

Phase two of the project was meant to be completed in 2019 but a nine-year delay saw contractors appointed three years after the original completion date lapsed.

“The main contracts were all awarded in October 2022 and construction is now fully underway and is due to be completed by 2028,” confirmed DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa.

As per a February update, the project comes at a cost of R40 billion, with the funds raised by the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA). 

Once completed, it will provide more than 400 million cubic meters of water every year to the Vaal Dam.

The required maintenance for phase one and the delays with phase two are not linked, with TCTA confirming to The Citizen that the shutdown would have affected both phases.

[PSA📢] We would like to inform the water users of the Vaal River System about the planned maintenance work on the transfer and delivery tunnels of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) over the six-month period, from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The tunnel system… pic.twitter.com/aQSfjUMeyI

— Water&SanitationRSA (@DWS_RSA) March 18, 2024

New agency for national water systems

President Ramaphosa is yet to sign the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency Bill, which would create a new entity responsible for national water resource infrastructure.  

This bill is aimed at overseeing the financial management of water projects, as well as absorbing the TCTA.

One project affected by financial mismanagement is the Giyani Water Supply Project, where R7 million was spent on five boreholes in a project that cost at least R2 billion.

ALSO READ: Giyani water crisis persists despite new minister appointment

Water was promised to 55 villages in Limpopo but only nine villages have been linked to the project to date.

“We will strive to ensure a further 15 villages receive water by the end of August this year, and that a further 31 villages receive water within the next two years,” confirmed Mavasa.

Delayed projects in the Western and Eastern Cape

Clanwilliam Dam in the Western Cape was meant to have its capacity tripled by raising the dam wall. While work started in 2013, the project was only 10% complete a decade later.

“The delays have since been addressed, the project is now fully funded and major construction work is currently underway,” stated Mavasa.

The Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape is back on track after stalling due to funding. A reworking of the budget from R18 billion to R8 billion will see the work commence this year.