Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni has told city residents to “brace themselves” as the municipality has “massive” plans to upgrade the bulk water supply infrastructure in the medium term.
WITH about R108 million having already been spent during what Sol Plaatje Municipality has termed the “emergency phase” of its water intervention plan, the local authority indicated this week that it will move to the second phase after June 2024.
This is part of the more than R2 billion that the municipality received as part of the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) grant funding to upgrade the bulk water supply infrastructure over the next five to seven years.
Addressing this week’s water conference in Kimberley, Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni said that by the end of June, the implementation phase of the BFI should be concluded.
“We termed the implementation phase as the ‘emergency phase’. The second phase will be termed the ‘medium-term phase’. During that phase, we will be ensuring that the Riverton treatment plant is fully revamped and that the water supply to Kimberley is reliable; also that there are no water cuts with regard to the supply to the city,” said Sonyoni.
“We are also aiming at building additional reservoirs in areas such as Galeshewe and other areas that have no reservoirs. Massive work is about to happen in the city. Residents must brace themselves …
“We have identified different sites. We are currently busy with a feasibility study to ensure that once we build the reservoirs on the chosen sites, we do not have any collapses of structures. The Ritchie reservoir will also be refurbished in order to ensure that we have a reliable water supply in that area.
“There are 25 projects that need to be completed with regard to the implementation of the BFI grant. We also have categories that require different stakeholders to be part of the work. We do not want any contractors who are chance-takers, but require contractors that will ensure that they complete the work.”
Sonyoni said that work has already started on the refurbishment of the Riverton wastewater treatment plant.
“We are fortunate to have been approved for the BFI grant when we applied. We are currently busy with a rigorous process to respond to the problems we are confronted with. The work is, however, an ongoing process. Work has already kicked off on the refurbishment of the Riverton treatment plant and is about to conclude with the process that will ensure that transformers at Riverton are all in operation in order for us to be able to supply residents with water.”
The mayor warned residents that water interruptions are a necessary part of the plans to upgrade the bulk water supply infrastructure.
“When the grant was approved, we made a public announcement that the implementation of the grant would result in a number of water interruptions. In order to fully work on the pipeline, we need to ensure the pipeline is dry and the leaks are exposed. In order for that process to be carried out, water interruptions are unfortunately necessary.”
Sonyoni pointed out that the current work aims to eliminate future water shutdowns and water losses in the city.
“I am confident that the work we are doing will respond to the challenge we are confronted with and the residents of this city will not be experiencing any water interruptions in the future. That is the reason we are trying to find a permanent resolution.”
