Water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu has instructed the Umgeni Water Board and the Umgungundlovu district municipality to negotiate with Eskom to exempt large water pump stations from load-shedding during off-peak hours to ensure water reliability in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mchunu said load-shedding was hindering water supply to households since electricity was essential for pumping water into reservoirs.
“When there is load-shedding, to a point that water runs out of the reservoir, it will not mean that we have run out of water but [rather] the capacity to pump it.
“To mitigate that, Umgeni Water and Umgungundlovu municipality will have a meeting with Eskom to discuss ways to manage the water system.”
Mchunu was speaking in Mooi River in the KZN Midlands where he was unveiling the R1.5bn Greater Mpofana bulk water scheme.
The water supply scheme includes the Spring Grove water treatment plant in Rosetta, the Bruntville reservoir in Mpofana and additional pipelines across the Midlands.
Mchunu’s delegation — which included newly appointed deputy minister Judith Tshabalala, the Umgeni water board, district mayor Mziwokuthula Zuma and local mayors — first opened the treatment plant which treats and transfers 20 megalitres of water per day.
The water is transferred through the 8km-long Nottingham Road pipeline and the 13km Bruntville pipeline to the reservoirs in Nottingham Road, Rosetta and the new 12 megalitre Bruntville reservoir.
People of Bruntville had been sharing water from Spring Water dam with the Mooi River CBD since 2013, which sometimes presented water challenges.
Mchunu said the Bruntville reservoir was big enough to accommodate water demands of both places but it will supply the local community only for now until there was a pipeline to town in July.
He said the Umgeni water board and the district municipality team, together with Eskom, will try to find ways to ensure that load-shedding does not empty such a big reservoir.
For now, both teams will ascertain how many hours it will take fill the reservoir and how many hours can it survive without running dry during power outages.
Umgeni water board chair Mzimkulu Msiwa told TimesLIVE that the idea was for Eskom to give them enough time to fill the dam when electricity usage was off peak.
“We’re trying to influence the times at which they do load-shedding. Since the consumption of electricity by businesses and industries is quite low at night, we will be asking them to give us the window there to do the pumping and filling of reservoirs.
“That will ensure that even when there is load-shedding during the day people will have water,” he said.
When full, the Bruntville reservoir has a storage that can supply water for 24 hours without needing to pump more.
Msiwa said they will also play their part to preserve water in the reservoirs by regulating water at night to minimise leaks.
“We will be throttling the valve — the outlet — so that our water doesn't go full steam at night but there is just enough and then reopen the valve fully in the morning. That will minimise water loss through leakage,” he said.
Mchunu said the project will benefit almost 30,000 residents from the four wards in Bruntville.
Mzi Zuma, Umgungundlovu district mayor, said the shortage of bulk water supply infrastructure had caused a delay in a number of housing projects in the district. He said this scheme presented an opportunity to complete those projects.
“There are two housing projects in this region (that had to be halted). There are seven in uMngeni municipality, two in Impendle and two more in Umkhambathini and these efforts by the water and sanitation department will make it possible to start reducing that backlog of housing projects in a year from now,” he said.
He said Mchunu will open another bulk water infrastructure in uMngeni in May and the second phase of Mpofana bulk water scheme.
TimesLIVE
Umgeni Water told to apply for load-shedding exemption for reservoirs
Image: NQUBEKO MBHELE
Water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu has instructed the Umgeni Water Board and the Umgungundlovu district municipality to negotiate with Eskom to exempt large water pump stations from load-shedding during off-peak hours to ensure water reliability in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mchunu said load-shedding was hindering water supply to households since electricity was essential for pumping water into reservoirs.
“When there is load-shedding, to a point that water runs out of the reservoir, it will not mean that we have run out of water but [rather] the capacity to pump it.
“To mitigate that, Umgeni Water and Umgungundlovu municipality will have a meeting with Eskom to discuss ways to manage the water system.”
Mchunu was speaking in Mooi River in the KZN Midlands where he was unveiling the R1.5bn Greater Mpofana bulk water scheme.
The water supply scheme includes the Spring Grove water treatment plant in Rosetta, the Bruntville reservoir in Mpofana and additional pipelines across the Midlands.
Mchunu’s delegation — which included newly appointed deputy minister Judith Tshabalala, the Umgeni water board, district mayor Mziwokuthula Zuma and local mayors — first opened the treatment plant which treats and transfers 20 megalitres of water per day.
The water is transferred through the 8km-long Nottingham Road pipeline and the 13km Bruntville pipeline to the reservoirs in Nottingham Road, Rosetta and the new 12 megalitre Bruntville reservoir.
People of Bruntville had been sharing water from Spring Water dam with the Mooi River CBD since 2013, which sometimes presented water challenges.
Mchunu said the Bruntville reservoir was big enough to accommodate water demands of both places but it will supply the local community only for now until there was a pipeline to town in July.
He said the Umgeni water board and the district municipality team, together with Eskom, will try to find ways to ensure that load-shedding does not empty such a big reservoir.
For now, both teams will ascertain how many hours it will take fill the reservoir and how many hours can it survive without running dry during power outages.
Umgeni water board chair Mzimkulu Msiwa told TimesLIVE that the idea was for Eskom to give them enough time to fill the dam when electricity usage was off peak.
“We’re trying to influence the times at which they do load-shedding. Since the consumption of electricity by businesses and industries is quite low at night, we will be asking them to give us the window there to do the pumping and filling of reservoirs.
“That will ensure that even when there is load-shedding during the day people will have water,” he said.
When full, the Bruntville reservoir has a storage that can supply water for 24 hours without needing to pump more.
Msiwa said they will also play their part to preserve water in the reservoirs by regulating water at night to minimise leaks.
“We will be throttling the valve — the outlet — so that our water doesn't go full steam at night but there is just enough and then reopen the valve fully in the morning. That will minimise water loss through leakage,” he said.
Mchunu said the project will benefit almost 30,000 residents from the four wards in Bruntville.
Mzi Zuma, Umgungundlovu district mayor, said the shortage of bulk water supply infrastructure had caused a delay in a number of housing projects in the district. He said this scheme presented an opportunity to complete those projects.
“There are two housing projects in this region (that had to be halted). There are seven in uMngeni municipality, two in Impendle and two more in Umkhambathini and these efforts by the water and sanitation department will make it possible to start reducing that backlog of housing projects in a year from now,” he said.
He said Mchunu will open another bulk water infrastructure in uMngeni in May and the second phase of Mpofana bulk water scheme.
TimesLIVE
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