Senzo Mchunu, Minister of Water and Sanitation (DWS), claims that in order to guarantee that citizens of the metro have access to water, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and the federal government must function as a single unit.
In order to manage water abstraction and consumption in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, the department and municipalities “need to do better,” according to Mchunu.
Mchunu made the comments on Tuesday while leading a site inspection at Churchill Dam as part of a ministerial visit to the Eastern Cape.
Mchunu said working together will lead to better water provision, “not only in the metro but in the country.”
“We must be one family and not create these barriers because they don’t work for the people. We must synergise,” Mchunu said.
Churchill Dam nightmare
Mchunu described the view of Churchill Dam’s low-level during an oversight visit as horrifying.
“The feeling is painful and that’s why my imagination went as far as comparing it to a starving person. For the dam to look beautiful, for the river to look beautiful… it must have water. Here is a seven-year drought and it’s like seven years without being fed. It’s a horror,” Mchunu said.
The Minister was informed of the dam’s condition, which has improved from last week’s 8 percent to a current 17 percent.
Eugene Johnson, Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, agreed that seeing the dam was gloomy.
“This is our reality… It is depressing for us to see this and to find out that this has gone so far and for so many years but now it is time to fix this. We welcome the help of the Minister to ensure that the crisis is fixed for everyone,” Johnson said.
To emphasise his point, Johnson urged the Water and Sanitation Metro Portfolio Committee members to travel to the dam.
More leaks have been repaired in the metro, with 3 097 of 3 314 recorded leaks repaired.
Mchunu has demanded that all water leaks in the municipality be fixed immediately, maybe by Friday.