The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in the Eastern Cape, together with the provincial Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Water Service Authorities (WSAs) and Water Service Providers (WSPs), recently conducted a Provincial Water Forum (PWF) to develop a common vision for the water sector and promote joint decision making between stakeholders in the achievement of the water sector goals.
The forum is chaired by the Eastern Cape Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Zolile Williams.
The province is currently grappling with water challenges due to an unreliable water supply caused by severe drought and loadshedding, as well as operational matters, general capacity to manage the WSAs function by some municipalities, and poor planning that has led to water services backlogs and environmental pollution.
The PWF was established as a collaborative inter-governmental relations structure to co-ordinate support between political leadership and stakeholders in the water sector for effective water service delivery and efficient water resources management.
DWS provincial head, Portia Makhanya, said that access to reliable basic services remains a challenge despite significant strides that have been made in bridging the inequality gap since 1994, with specific reference to water and sanitation services.
“This is exacerbated by climate change (severe drought impact) threatening water security, and inability to eradicate historical water (22%) and sanitation (29%) services backlogs, as well as response to increased demands especially in former homelands,” Makhanya lamented. She added that deterioration of wastewater infrastructure has also increased levels of environmental pollution.
“Lack of institutional capacities to deal with demands across the water and sanitation value chain calls for urgent and decisive institutional reforms,” Makhanya concluded.
