The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) working with Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) conducted a media tour to Xonxa Dam Transfer Scheme and Bulk Water Supply Project that is already supplying water to the areas around Komani that are struggling for water supply because of the stubborn drought over the last while.

In the previous years, the Eastern Cape was declared as a drought-stricken Province, of which the Chris Hani District Municipality is a major part. As the major dams declined weekly, taps went dry and communities suffered the most.

The DWS made some interventions through its Regional Bulk Infrastracture Grant (RBIG) to assist municipalities with a number of water projects that will serve communites with water. The Xonxa Dam Transfer Scheme and Bulk Water Supply Project is implemented by the Chris Hani District Municipality with funds from the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) from way back in 2010 and it is set to benefit 1,868 households making up approximately 13,055 people.

The most important beneficiaries of this project are all highly dependent on Governmemt Grant Funding.

The main purpose of this project is to augment the current water supply shortfall within the municipality and further open up the urgently needed supply of bulk potable water to indigent areas within and surrounding Komani including villages surrounding the Xonxa Dam.

Having this media tour to Xonxa Water Project sought to give members of the media an opportunity to become familiar with the progress that is taking place to supply water to the communities of CHDM through this Xonxa Water Project.

Since the inception of the Xonxa Water Project people benefitted through job opportunities, skills and local SMME contractors also benefited. The DWS is proud to announce that since project implementation, phases 1- 5 of the project are 100% complete and the last phase of the project which seeks to link villages such Machibini and Linge township is phase 6 which is in the municipality tender processes.

The sooner this tender is awarded to the winning contractor the sooner phase 6 will kick start. The DWS also highlighted challenges that caused delays in completing this project which include the issue of funding. These delays led to the escalation of costs.

Initially the budget allocation was R470 840 394 and an additional budget was approved in 12/2019.The project cost is now at R657 663 506 – 00, Incl. VAT.