Question NW255 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has confirmed that the mentioned villages of Mpeko, Mgababa, Qeto and Ntloko in Ngqushwa Local Municipality have existing infrastructure, although it is compromised by illegal connections. The water supplied to the villages is being treated at Peddie Regional Scheme which is operated by the Amathole District Municipality.

Furthermore, Amathole District Municipality (ADM) is currently embarking on a number of initiatives to improve the reliability of water supply to the Ngqushwa area through the Infrastructure Services Grant (WISIG) funded by DWS. The initiatives include water conservation and demand management initiatives, Implementation of the Rural Yard Connection Policy (in order to control the illegal connections) and refurbishment of existing infrastructure. The Refurbishment Project includes the following:

Remedial Works to the Chalumna Bulk Gravity Main:

• Replacement of approximately 2400m of existing 250mm to 450mm diameter AC pipe with new mPVC pipe of equivalent or better class and size to that of the parent pipe
• Construction of 21 No air valve installations;
• Repair or replacement of 18 No. existing damaged air valve installations; Reconstruction of 3 No. existing scour valve installations;
• Construction of 1 No. new scour valve installation;
• Construction of 2 No. new in-line isolating valve installations; and
• Construction of 10 no. cross connection chambers.

Augmentation of the Wesley Bulk Main:

• Construction of approximately 6500m of new 160mm diameter pipe, in parallel to the existing 110/160 mm diameter Wesley Bulk Main; complete with associated fittings and structures.

Completion of the Glenmore Bulk Main:

• Construction of approximately 20m of new 200 mm diameter pipe, to join the existing Glenmore main to the Glenmore Rural Water Supply Scheme (RWSS) command reservoir; complete with associated fittings and structures.

New Connections to the Bulk Mains:

• Construction of 7 No. new connections to the existing bulk mains.
• Road Crossings:
• Directional drilling and installation of water pipes under the N2, R72 and R345 roads respectively.

Flow Control Valves:

• Installation of 10 No. flow control valves, varying in size from 50mm to 110 mm, at the entrances to existing reservoirs, complete with chambers; and
• Construction of new and/or repair of existing pipework and fittings, as well as chambers.

New Pipework and Connections:

• Install new pipework and complete with fittings, connections, cross-connections and the likes to unlock capacity bottlenecks at Peddie town and to various rural villages supplied from the Sandile RWSS.

Village Reticulation:

• Construction of some 2400m of new buried reticulation pipelines, varying in size from 50mm to 110mm in diameter, complete with the requisite fittings, chambers; and
• Construction of 20 No. new communal standpipes, complete with the requisite fittings and chambers.

While these interventions will bring some relief, it is has been determined that the water demand exceeds the water supply, and therefore a second phase of the project, which is still at a planning phase, has been initiated to further address water shortages. In the interim, Amathole District Municipality will continue to ration water in order to distribute the water equally to all villages. When necessary, ADM will cart water in trucks to any community where water is disrupted beyond the current operational plan.