Share

Durban on course for water demand crisis

Durban - Next year will be a big year for water infrastructure in Durban, with construction of the second phase of the Western Aqueduct gathering momentum and the likely beginning of the first contract of the urgently needed Northern Aqueduct.
 
Neil Macleod, head of eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS), said on Wednesday that the municipality has released a further R580m over the next three years to accelerate the city’s water infrastructure projects.

This would not only ensure earlier completion of the Western Aqueduct, but also bring forward the start of the Northern Aqueduct to ensure water was available for critical development projects such as Cornubia.
 
Project manager Martin Bright said that the first contract of the Northern Aqueduct, which starts at Phoenix Reservoir 2 and extends to the Waterloo Reservoir near Verulam, has already gone out to tender.

This includes a link to the Umhlanga Reservoir in Umhlanga Rocks Drive.

It was hoped that the tender would be awarded at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2013, he said.
 
A tender to construct the new Blackburn Reservoir is also going through the tender evaluation process. This reservoir will play a crucial part in supplying water to Cornubia.
 
He said the second contract within the Northern Aqueduct project between Duffs Road and the Phoenix 2 Reservoir was currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

“Documentation is currently with the department of environmental affairs. This is a very important link as it will boost water supply for the Cornubia development via the pipeline to be constructed under the first contract of the Northern Aqueduct,” he said.

Water restrictions

Macleod, who has long warned that Durban’s demand for water outstripped supply, which would entail severe water restrictions during the slightest drop in rainfall, said that the city is currently “in a honeymoon period.”
 
With the new Springrove Dam near Mooi River coming on stream and abnormally high rainfall ensuring that existing dams are full, he said that the balance between supply and demand had been restored for the time being.
 
“However, as new development continues, we will go back into deficit. So, each year going forward is critical. From 2014 onwards, we start slipping back to where the supply is not statistically able to meet the demand,” he said.
 
He said that a tenuous water situation was acceptable whilst the northern regions of the city were filled with sugar cane.

Massive development required not only an adequate, but a reliable supply of water which could not be guaranteed at this stage.
 
“We may have enough water to meet the current demand, but we don’t have the infrastructure to deliver it to where it is needed. We don’t have the network capacity,” he said,

This had led to the municipality holding back on future development plans.
 
The existing water network to the north of Durban is stretched to the limit. Macleod said that water outages in Ntuzuma and parts of Inanda were happening almost daily.

- Fin24

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders