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Billions for water infrastructure projects

20 May 2011

South Africa plans to spend over R14.2-billion over the next three years on dams and water distributions systems to ensure the country maintains a sustainable water supply, says Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa.

The spending forms part of the government's three-year, R846-billion infrastructure upgrade plan.

Addressing members of Parliament in Cape Town this week, Molews said her department had spent R5.9-billion of the R29.2-billion budgeted for several projects, ranging from water services projects to mega infrastructure projects.

"The spending focus over the medium term will be on bulk raw water resource infrastructure to meet sustainable demand for South Africa," Molewa said, pointing out that the details are outlined in Vote 38 in the National Treasury's Estimates of National Expenditure for 2011.

Included in the R14.2-billion, the department would also spend R1.4-billion on small infrastructure projects, over R6.4-billion on regional bulk infrastructure and R730-million on water services projects.

Mega-infrastructure projects

The projects include R16-billion for the Olifants River Water Resource Development Project in Limpopo – which includes over R3-billion to be spent on the De Hoop Dam and a further R13.1-billion on distribution systems.

So far over R2.5-billion has been spent on the project – the bulk (over R2.1-billion) on revamping the De Hoop Dam. A further R2.8-billion will be spent on the project over the next three years.

The other mega-infrastructure projects the department is rolling out include:

• A R2.2-billion upgrade of Clanwilliam Dam (with R380-million to be spent over the next three years).
• The R2-billion Greater Letaba River Project which includes the Tzaneen and Nwamitwa dams (R386-million over the next three years).
• Phase one of the Mokolo and Crocodile River Augmentation Project (R603-million over the next three years).
• The R1.7-bn Nandoni Water Treatment Works and Distribution project (R753-million over the next three years).
• The Nandoni Pipeline project (R720-million over the next three years).

Source: BuaNews