The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa, the Premier of the Northern Cape Sylvia Lucas and provincial MEC’s will launch the Colesberg Waste Water Treatment Works in the Umsobomvu Local Municipality, Northern Cape today.

The R23.3 million water treatment workswas constructed as part of a series of infrastructure projects aimed at addressing the water supply and waste water management issues in Colesberg. The upgrade will provide the town with sufficient treatment capacity until approximately 2020.

The area is recognised as part of the Karoo and is known for the low levels of rain it experiences resulting in its dependence primarily on the flow of the Orange River.

The project involved upgrading the existing oxidation dam system to an activated sludge system with sufficient capacity to treat an average flow of 2 400m³ per day and an organic loading of 3 240 kg per COD per day.