NMBM executive mayor, Eugene Johnson, with water and sanitation minister, Senzo Mchunu, commission the Kwanobuhle Pumpstation to bridge water supply in the Metro
The Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Cllr Eugene Johnson, presided over the commissioning of the Kwanobuhle Pumpstation, an intervention started by the Metro in July 2021 to mitigate the persistent seven-year drought-induced water crisis.
The commissioning of the plant is part of joint efforts by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, as national government and the municipality are working to ensure the municipality does not go without water.
Explaining the significance of the plant, Senior Director for Water & Sanitation at the Metro says: “The Kwanobuhle Pumpstation at Chelsea reservoir will enable a wider distribution of water from the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme to ensure that more communities have running water. The plant is expected to pump between 30 million and 60 million litres per day to augment supply.”
As the Metro adds capacity to defeat the drying of taps in parts of the city, the administration also noted the welcome decline in water consumption from 293ml/d recorded 100 days ago, to 246ml/d recorded this morning. The Metro is cautiously optimistic, noting that the steady decline in water consumption is likely to be a sign that efforts to ramp up the fixing of rampant water leaks, the emboldened communication efforts, as well as visible water collection points are all starting to make a difference.
On winning the battle against rampant water leaks, Water Distribution Director, Joseph Tsatsire, confirmed: “We have recorded 3 097 leaks repaired since the 20 of June against a backlog of 3 231. More could have been achieved if it wasn’t for the rains during the first week; in any case, the repair teams also fixed water leaks that were not reported but picked up during the water leaks festival.”
NMBM Water Crisis Spokesperson Luvuyo Bangazi says: “We are still very concerned about capacity in our local dams, with only 2.25% of useable storage. The JOC urges water users to continue reducing consumption to less than 50 litres per day per person to secure water for everyone.”
Issued by Luvuyo Bangazi, NMBM JOC Spokesperson.