Water price hike could fund R16,5-billion scheme

KWAZULU-Natal consumers might have to pay more for water next year to help fund the province’s proposed R16,5-billion uMkhomazi Water Project, although this water scheme will only be completed in 2024.

Recently, the Umgeni Water Board met with officials from Ugu District Municipality, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Msunduzi Local Municipality, uMgungundlovu District Municipality and Ilembe District Municipality to discuss the funding of this massive and expensive water scheme.

A 15 percent hike in water tariffs, from July next year, was suggested.

However, Ugu spokesman France Zama stressed that this was only a proposal by Umgeni Water as there had not been any concluding discussions between it and the municipalities. Any form of tariff increases would follow proper processes and would be communicated to the affected consumers in line with the government regulations.

“As a water board, Umgeni supplies water to different municipalities in the province. It supplies only a minor portion of its resources to Ugu District Municipality and the uMkhomazi Water Project may not have a direct impact on Ugu District,” he said. However he pointed out that the completion of this project would mean water supply assurance to all areas supplied by Umgeni Water Board including the Ugu District.

Currently, the Mgeni system, comprising Midmar, Albert Falls, Nagle and Inanda Dams, supplies about 5-million people and industries, mainly in the uMgungundlovu, eThekwini and Msunduzi Municipalities.

According to the national Department of Water and Sanitation, the construction of Spring Grove Dam as part of the Mooi Mgeni Transfer Scheme will increase the Mgeni system’s water supply by 60 million cubic metres per year but this is still not enough to meet the long-term needs of the system.

Thus, the uMkhomazi Water Project, involving the transfer of water from the undeveloped uMkhomazi River to the existing Mgeni system, is being investigated through a feasibility study.

The uMkhomazi River is the third-largest river in KwaZulu-Natal. When completed the Mkhomazi Water Project will be one of then largest water schemes in South Africa and will rival the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in size.

The proposed project will include the construction of a large dam at Smithfield on the uMkhomazi River, near Bulwer, and water conveyance infrastructure that will include a 34km long tunnel and a raw water pipeline to a balancing dam in the Baynesfield area.

The balancing dam at Baynesfield Dam or a similar in-stream dam will need to be built as well.

Additional infrastructure will include a water treatment works in the uMlaza River valley and a gravity pipeline to the Umgeni Water bulk distribution reservoir system, below the reservoir at Umlaas Road.

Phase two of the uMkhomazi Water Project may be implemented when needed. It will comprise the construction of a large dam at Impendle further upstream on the uMkhomazi River to release water to the downstream Smithfield Dam.

Together, these developments have been identified as having a 99 percent assured yield of about 388 million cubic metres a year.

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