uMkhanyakude mayor welcomes water conference

uMkhanyakude District Mayor Siphile Mdaka has conveyed his enthusiasm for Tuesday’s consultative conference in Mtubatuba, orchestrated by Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu.

Taking place at KwaMshaya, the conference is poised to centre around the strategic development of water resources to address the region’s growing water needs.

Mdaka underscored the municipality’s unwavering commitment to ensuring a consistent and accessible water supply throughout the district.

Mchunu will meet with stakeholders for development of water resource projects in the Mfolozi River catchment.

Mchunu will be accompanied by his deputy ministers David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala, together with Mdaka.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has said besides the Pongola and Mkhuze rivers, the Mfolozi catchment is one of the rivers supplying water to uMkhanyakude and Zululand district municipalities.

Seventy-five per cent of the allocated water from Mfolozi River is used for domestic, afforestation and irrigation.However, a growing population in the two districts has resulted in increased water demands for household consumption and from other sectors like forestry and agriculture.

The department said it, together with its sector partners, has developed a water resource reconciliation strategy for Mfolozi Catchment, which consists of surface water resource development projects, including raising of Klipfontien Dam, construction of Usuthu Dam, and the development of a dam in lower Mfolozi.

Mchunu will engage with various stakeholders, including traditional leadership of Mtubatuba, for their input on the development and implementation of the water resource reconciliation strategy for Mfolozi Catchment.

This initiative follows a pivotal meeting between Mchunu and Mdaka in Mkhuze early in January, wherein the two leaders collaborated to devise intervention strategies to rectify water supply challenges in the district.

Mdaka said the forthcoming consultative conference signifies a collective dedication to sustainable water management and reinforces the collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and uMkhanyakude District Municipality.

HAVE YOUR SAY