To ensure that an estimated 90 000 residents of Namakwa District Municipality have access to potable water, the Department of Water and Sanitation will spend an estimated R1 billion. This is according to the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) Manager in the Northern Cape.

Speaking from his offices in Kimberley, Kgarane says the water project which is currently underway, started in 2011 and is expected to complete by March 2019, will ensure that an estimated 11 496 households or 42 378 residents have access to potable water until the year 2030.

The water project will supply 16 Mega litres of water per day, which translates into 16 million litres of water per day.

Kgarane says the project will be rolled out in phases selected in such a manner that the primary challenges causing failure of water delivery to communities are to be addressed first.

Aging infrastructure and poor maintenance

Since December 2010, interruptions of the water supply to the Springbok area have been rife with continuous occurrences of pipe failures leading to towns being without water for periods of up to 4 days.

In January 2010, the Minister of Water and Sanitation instructed that an assessment of the water scheme be conducted and it revealed that due to the ageing infrastructure and poor or no maintenance of the system which is now 30 years old has reached the end of its economic life cycle.

Before copper mining activities ceased in 1998, maintenance was primarily conducted by the personnel of the Okiep Copper Company as it was in their interest to do so.

Since the closure of the mines, the Namaqua Water Board has had neither the capacity in terms of personnel nor the financial resources to maintain the system to the required standard.

By 2011, feasibility and environmental impact studies were conducted which led to the approval of the project and the construction of the gravity main between Eenriet reservoir and Vaalhoek reservoir with a total length of 55 km.

The project also include the upgrading of the raw water pump station at the Orange River, the replacement of raw water pumps and the upgrading of the sand filters at the Henkries water treatment plant.