Water for 217 000 people

Johannesburg - Over 217 000 people in three municipalities will benefit from a bulk water project launched on Sunday at Taung in North West, said Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa.

"The project will not only alleviate water poverty in the Greater Taung Municipality, but it will augment water for two other adjacent municipalities as well," she said.

Speaking at the Pudumong sports grounds, where the project was launched, Molewa said the entire municipality with over 100 villages would have access to clean running water on completion of the project.

The project would transfer water from the previously single-purpose Taung Dam to the Taung purification plant before it was distributed.

Another pipeline would transfer water to Vryburg in the Naledi local municipality and Genyesa in the Kagisano local municipality.

North West premier Thandi Modise said her province was talking to the department about building more catchment areas in Taung's flood lines.