Picture: The construction site of a reservoir project in Potchefstroom
By REGINALD KANYANE
Operation Bulela Metsi might be what the residents of the North West need to do away with water scarcity. The residents across the province continue to struggle to access clean and drinkable water.
However, the minister of water and sanitation, Senzo Mchunu said his department has rolled up its sleeves as a means to accelerate the provision of water in the province. Mchunu said this will be done through the implementation of Operation Bulela Metsi, which is an initiative geared towards enhancing access to consistent and reliable water supply in the province.
On Friday, the Republic of South Africa (RSA) President, Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied Mchunu and several other ministers, conducted an oversight inspection at a construction site of a reservoir in Ikageng Township, near Potchefstroom.
“This is evident as all hands are on deck in the construction of the Ikageng 25 mega litres ground reservoir. The construction of the reservoir is funded through the Department’s Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) with the municipality as the Water Services Authority, appointed as the implementing agent.
“Work commenced in January this year and is expected to be completed by July 2024, with more than 100 job opportunities for locals in the pipeline. The reservoir and the new bulk distribution (gravity) pipeline will supply water to communities in Ikageng Proper, Ikageng Ext. 1,4,5 9, 12, Potchindustria, Mohadin as well as the Northern portion of Ikageng Ext. 7,” he said.
Mchunu further said the project came about as a result of the decommissioning of the Ikageng West Reservoirs, which rendered the Ikageng Proper and Potchindustria networks without any storage capacity. He added that they have made a commitment to fast-track the implementation of bulk water projects in water-strained communities.
“The department has since put wheels in motion to collaboratively work with the provincial government and its entities with an aim of ensuring water security in the province and across the country.
“Close to 22,000 households and a population of 94 201 will benefit from the successful completion of the reservoir. In addition, the reservoir site is suitable to cater for the future developments at Mooibank to the south of the N12, and the platform will be ready to accept additional ground reservoirs,” said Mchunu.
He said the position of the new reservoir site is also suited to accommodate any future developments, once the urban edge is extended to the North West of the reservoir site as proposed in the recent Spatial Development Framework.
Mnchunu said the Operation Bulela Metsi project is a culmination of the hard work carried out by the technical task team established by the national and provincial government in January this year, to conduct an assessment of the state of water and sanitation services provision in the province and come up with measures to address the challenges and ensure sustainable provision of the services.
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