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The DA in Mogalakwena has requested the DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Leon Basson MP to engage Minister of Water Affairs, Lindiwe Sisulu for an immediate intervention regarding the current water crisis in Mogalakwena Municipality.

Mokopane residents receive the bulk of their water supply from the Doorndraai Water Treament Works operated by Lepelle Northern Water Board as well as various boreholes. Lepelle Northern Water is currently pumping 6.552 Mega litres (Ml) from Doorndraai Dam per day to Mokopane high Reservoir. This water is used by consumers who feed from the pipeline before it even reaches the reservoir.

The DA can further confirm that the water canal used by the Department of Water Affair to supply water to users is a serious concern. This canal stretches over approximately 60 kilometres, and has been leaking for numerous years, without any maintenance or repairs.

Currently, the canal pumps over 28 mega litres (ML) per day, just to supply +- 3Ml to end consumers. This means that effectively more than 25 mega litre of water is being lost through the cracks in this canal daily.

The Municipality has no plan in place to rectify or address this situation and according to the Department the canal may only be closed once the dam levels are lower than 6% , as stipulated within their contracts with the consumers.

Flag Boshielo Dam's pipeline that was planned to supply water to the Mogalakwena villages never materialized and the dam levels continued to decrease, without any water restrictions being implemented.

Since 2018, the DA has been very vocal urging the municipality to introduce water restrictions after noticing water levels descending but our requests fell on the deaf ears.

The dam level at Doorndraai Dam, as measured on 3 February 2020, is sitting at 12.3% in comparison with 21,4% where it was last year. Although we are thankful for recent rainfall it is very important that residents save water, as we are still in the midst of a massive water crisis.

With Mogalakwena residents facing day zero, the DA believes that an urgent plan should be initiated to fix the major leaks in the canal as well as any other problems in relation to infrastructure, as the cost of the amount of water being lost is much greater than the cost of repairs. It is also pertinent that boreholes be maintained and that in some cases more boreholes should be sunk.

The current situation is unacceptable and deplorable, as loadshedding and power outages also have an additional negative impact on reservoir levels, leaving some residents without water for weeks at end.

The embattled Mogalakwena Municipality, which has recently been placed under administration needs urgent intervention by the National Government, as it seems that at a local level our Municipality is unable to fulfil their Constitutional mandate to supply water to residents.

We will submit written questions to Minister Sisulu to get an update regarding the Department's future plans to avert the looming day zero in Mogalakwena.

The Democratic Alliance will continue to fight for the rights of every resident in Mogalakwena, we will continue to put the needs of the community first and we will continue to apply pressure on Government until action is taken.

Issued by DA