Spotlight shone on water availability
'A consistent outcry from the community of uMkhanyakude was a lack of access to water for emerging farmers' - minister
THE link between economic opportunities and water availability is undeniable.
This was the sentiment of a multi-stakeholder team led by Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza which last week updated Amakhosi and councillors in uMkhanyakude District as to government’s interventions in ensuring water provision for sustainable livelihoods.
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The team comprised the departments of Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Land and Rural Development, KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), uMkhanyakude District Municipality, and Mhlathuze Water.
“In consultation with my counterpart responsible for water and sanitation, Minister Senzo Mchunu, we agreed that, [while] we focus on overcoming the domestic water challenges of this region, we also need to ensure there is sufficient water to drive agriculture,” said Didiza, speaking at the engagement held on Sunday in Jozini.
Didiza said a consistent outcry from the community of uMkhanyakude was a lack of access to water for emerging farmers.
In this regard, she said, senior officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation and from the Department of Agriculture, Land and Rural Development had been tasked with working with the newly-established Lower Pongola District Water User Association and Infrastructure to overcome the region’s water challenge and ensure equitable access to the precious resource.
The water user association is made of various stakeholders drawn from civil society.
The Department of Water and Sanitation recently appointed Mhlathuze Water to act as implementing agent under section 63 of the Water Services Act.
Under the directive, Mhlathuze Water has already begun working with uMkhanyakude District Municipality to improve water infrastructure in the district.
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