INSTEAD of constructing new package water treatment plants, uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) has recommended that eThekwini Municipality should prioritise water demand management interventions.

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This follows eThekwini’s request to UUW to investigate the feasibility of establishing package water treatment plants in communities experiencing prolonged water shortages.

A package water treatment plant is a pre-engineered, compact water treatment system that is manufactured off-site and installed quickly to produce safe drinking water.

Unlike a conventional water treatment plant, which is custom-built on-site and can take years to construct, a package plant is designed to be installed and commissioned much faster to serve communities experiencing water shortages.

The feasibility study assessed proposed package plants for Mfume, Craigieburn and Umbumbulu.
Making a presentation to the eThekwini executive committee (Exco) at the July 2 meeting, UUW advised that reducing water losses and improving the efficiency of the existing water distribution system would deliver faster, more sustainable and financially viable benefits than investing in new supply infrastructure.

The estimated capital cost for the Mfume plant is around R650m, said UUW. For Craigieburn and Umbumbulu, UUW noted that construction of the proposed facilities would only be completed after the Lower uMkhomazi Dam starts working in 2029.

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In a statement, eThekwini said UUW reported that demand management interventions would enable the municipality to recover significant volumes of non-revenue water, thereby making more water available to customers without increasing current bulk water supply volumes.

“These interventions can also be implemented over a shorter period and at a substantially lower cost than developing new water supply schemes,” read the statement.

UUW’s preliminary findings indicate that while package plants could provide interim relief in some areas, they would require substantial capital investment and may not represent the most cost-effective long-term solution.

UUW also noted that a package plant at Umbumbulu would draw from the same water source as Amanzimtoti Water Treatment Works, potentially reducing water availability to those areas supplied through Amanzimtoti.

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