GROUNDUP : No relief in sight in Makhanda’s decade-long struggle for reliable water
Upgrades to the water treatment plant to solve the crisis that started in 2015 are yet to be completed.
Makhanda residents have endured a decade-long struggle for reliable water, with little sign of relief in sight. Despite upgrades to the water treatment plant started in 2015, there is still no consistent supply of potable water to the city's tens of thousands of inhabitants. Khonziwe Tom, a resident living in Fingo, says her taps only flow two or three times per week, and if they do, it's only for a few hours early in the morning. "If you don’t wake up early, you might miss it," she remarks.
Water trucks are unreliable as well, arriving late and often in a hurry, leaving households without water when they return home. Even those who can afford their own water supply find themselves paying for a necessity they should not have to bear. Meanwhile, businesses and institutions in Makhanda have also had to fund their own water needs due to the frequent and unpredictable water outages.
The James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works (WTW), responsible for supplying the majority of Makhanda's water, is still not up to the task of providing a consistent water supply. Originally planned to be upgraded to a 20-million-litre-per-day capacity, the plant is only operating at half of its intended capacity – a 10-million-litre-per-day plant.
The upgrade began in 2015 and was expected to be completed by 2018 for R102-million, but has cost an additional R279-million instead and is still ongoing. Phase 3, the final stage of the project, is expected to be completed by September 2027 at an additional cost of R223-million, bringing the total projected cost over budget by R400-million.
Progress on the Phase 3 upgrade has been slow, with only 12% of the work completed six months into the 18-month project. Challenging factors include refurbishing an operational plant while maintaining water supply, procurement delays, approvals, and coordination with the Makana Local Municipality. Municipal spokesperson Anele Mjekula could not provide an update on the number of operational pumps at the plant, leaving residents and businesses to cope with the unreliable water supply.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
