Question NW2431 to the Minister of Water and Sanitation

Reply:

 

The water crisis in Cradock does not emanate from a source problem. The Fish River has an average flow of 26m³/s which consists of water being transferred via the Orange Fish transfer scheme.

The challenges experienced in Cradock are attributable mainly to a lack of functionality of water and sanitation services infrastructure, which is further exacerbated by load shedding. During long loadshedding, not enough raw water can be pumped to the Water Treatment Works (WTWs). Chris Hani District Municipality as Water Services Authority has put mitigations in place to respond to the challenges. The table below summarises challenges within Cradock and interventions/ mitigations in place to address them:

Table1: Water and Sanitation challenges

Challenges	Mitigations
Frequent sewer spillages Pipe burst and water leaks Water interruptions Meter leaks	Use of backup generator Water carting to supply water Water rationing Construction of inline screen in Lingelihle Deployed jetting machine to unblock sewer mains Funding approved to address sewer spillages Funding is approved for consultant to develop Cradock Bulk Water Infrastructure Upgrade Plan.

Extended water interruption or shortages in Cradock due to non-functional or damaged water processing units are mainly affecting Hillside and Bersig areas. Measures to address this include the upgrade of Cradock bulk water infrastructure, funded through Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). Consultants have been appointed to plan for this upgrade. A service provider has also been appointed to repair the raw water pump at Geelbooi and install a required protection control panel at Cradock WTW.

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