Durban – With the country’s water resources fast drying up, more municipalities are resorting to boreholes to mitigate water shortages.
Amajuba District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has announced plans to revive the borehole system in all of its three local municipalities. Provision of water is a core responsibility of district municipalities.
On Tuesday the municipality’s mayor, Prince Ndabuko Zulu, announced that the council has begun a programme to renew and repair the old boreholes in areas wrestling with water shortages. He said in areas where there was inadequate water infrastructure, the municipality had reprioritised funding for the renewal and repair of boreholes.
“Groundwater plays a crucial role in community water supply in most rural areas of South Africa; its best operation and management in such areas is essential. A total amount of R3 million has been set aside for this important task which will lessen the burden on the residents. A portion of this amount will also be used to purchase Jojo tanks for the needy communities,” said the mayor.
He said councillors and other community leaders in the affected areas had already embarked on a campaign to audit the existing boreholes to do a proper analysis of the work to be done.
“The leadership of the municipality has affirmed its commitment to tackle water challenges and ensure that the residents have access to clean and safe water which is a necessity. Having engaged our people and different sectors we have concluded that the water issue is serious and needs our urgent attention. We looked at both the interim and long-term solutions while also considering what we have in our coffers. We are excited that the boreholes renewal and repairs programme will come as a relief to the residents of this district,” added the mayor.
The mayor called on residents in the areas where this work will be conducted to assist with safeguarding infrastructure and report illegal activities such as vandalism.
The borehole system has traditionally been used in rural areas while cities received water from dams. Even eThekwini Municipality has now resorted to a borehole system, especially in outlying areas. It recently announced the drilling of 20 boreholes in the semi-rural wards.
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