Question NW1743 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
17 December 2019 - NW1743
Graham-Maré, Ms SJ to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(1)What (a) steps has her department taken against the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality with regard to complaints that the sewerage pump stations and manholes are overflowing and leaking into the Sundays River, (b) remedial measures will her department make available to the municipality to deal with the situation and (c) methods of rehabilitation will be used to restore the areas affected by sewarage spills; (2) whether additional funding will be made available to the specified municipality to address the problems it faces; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) issued the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality with a Directive dated 4 November 2019, to which the Municipality responded on 18 November 2019, confirming that all three sewage pump stations are repaired & operational 24 hours per day and evidence of spill areas have all been rehabilitated. Procurement of new pumps to ensure back up pumps in each pump station will take twelve (12) weeks to implement.
2. The Department, Regional Office in the Eastern Cape has allocated R 7 mil WSIG funds to Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality for planned projects in the 2019/20 financial year. Due to the declaration of drought disaster, DWS has allowed the WSIG funds to be re-prioritised and most of these funds have been assigned to emergency water supply schemes.
3. The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality has rehabilitated each site by removing solids, papers and screenings for safe disposal, disinfecting the sites and improving general housekeeping at all three sites to comply with industry norms & standards.
4. The Department (DWS) has allowed the WSIG to be re-prioritised and most of these funds have been assigned to emergency water supply schemes. Emergency Drought funding of R 30.02 mil has been given by National Treasury in 2018/9 and Provincial GoGTA has granted R 6.4 mil for drought interventions to drill & equip a total of nine (9) boreholes in the 2019/20 financial year.