FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATT: NEWS EDITORS AND REPORTERS
1 APRIL 2021
CITY MAYOR URGE MHLATHUZE WATER TO UP THE ANTE ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
City of uMhlathuze Mayor Cllr Mduduzi Mhlongo has urged Mhlathuze Water Board to speed up all water infrastructure projects aimed at increasing the supply capacity in areas under the city. Mhlongo said the city has partnered with Mhlathuze Water on emergency water interventions that will end the woes engulfing mainly eSikhaleni Cluster.
A Five Mega litre Package Plant for Madlankala and Gobandlovu areas, construction of two Reservoirs around the area, construction of a number of water pump stations that will increase and maintain the supply pressure, which includes reservoirs in Ntingweni, Nkonjane, Khandisa, and Mangezi areas are some of those projects. Pump stations will also be constructed in the eSikhaleni reservoirs.
“We will be beginning to see work done on a number of these projects by the end of April 2020. We understand that people needs a consistent service and they need it now. We request that Mhlathuze Water Board assists us in ensuring that all projects we have agreed are executed swiftly,” Mhlongo said.
Mhlongo was speaking this morning at the Mhlathuze Water Stakeholder Indaba in Richards Bay.
“We are here to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership we have with Mhlathuze Water Board. Our City is a water service authority on its own but we decided to partner with Mhlathuze Water Board, a government entity in understanding that we share a common mandate to supply water to the people and industries. As one government, we ought to support one another to fulfil such mandate. Our partnership has over the years encountered some challenges like any other partnerships but we have always resolved such without any hostilities,” Mhlongo said.
Mhlongo said the long term plan for the city in partnership with Mhlathuze water is to lay a redundancy line that will feed eSikhaleni reservoirs from Nsezi River in case of any emergencies. “We want to also relay a message for the Minister of Water and Sanitation that our future plans are to increase the capacity of Cubhu Lake to 60 million litres per day from the current 36 million litres. The problems that we recently encountered at eSikhaleni mainly emanated from the rapid overgrowing population, which is beyond the municipal capacity. Increasing the Cubhu Lake capacity will be the best solution and therefore require support from all role players,” Mhlongo said.
Mhlongo also highlighted the importance of a solidified working relationship with the bulk water entity for the economic growth of the City. “It has been confirmed now that the City of uMhlathuze is the second Provincial Growth Domestic Product (DGP) contributors after eThekwini. This is because of strategic investments injected in the city through the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone and the commitment of the industries to work within our city under difficult circumstances at times. We also appreciate that and prospects are depicting a good growth in the near future hence the water security is of critical importance,” Mhlongo concludes.
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