Senqu Local Municipality Rural Water Supply Scheme
Senqu Local Municipality Rural Water Supply Scheme
Date : 2021 – 2023 Author : Robyn Thomson
There are a significant number of rural communities within the Senqu Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape that do not have access to safe drinking water, which is a basic human right as per the requirements of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The existing supply scheme is insufficient to meet the demand and much of the infrastructure is not in working order. The local communities have to walk great distances carrying buckets of water sourced from springs, dams and streams. This water is often not of suitable drinking quality. The people carrying this water are usually the older women from the communities.
The Joe Gqabi District Municipality is responsible for the supply of water services to these communities and have appointed civil engineers, ROMH, to undertake an analysis of the demand in villages in wards 2, 6, 7, 10, 12 and 17. The scheme is being designed taking into consideration the demand, the existing supply infrastructure and identifying additional water sources to meet the shortfall. CES are assisting in obtaining the required environmental authorisations from the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
The outcome would be the supply of safe water to the communities in the six wards within the Senqu Local Municipality.