ISITATIMENDE SOMNYANGO WEZAMANZI NEZENHLANZEKO, UMASIPALA WETHEKU, NOMNGENI-UTHUKELA WATER

 

Umbiko wakamuva ngokuphazamiseka kwamanzi eThekwini

 

23 Febhuwari 2025

 

Njengoba inselelo yokuphazamiseka kwamanzi iqhubeka eThekwini, uNgqongqoshe wezaManzi nezeNhlanzeko kuzwelonke, uPemmy Majodina, nePhini likaNgqongoshe uDavid Mahlobo, babambe umhlangano ophuthumayo neMeya yeTheku, uKhansela Cyril Xaba noSihlalo weBhodi loMngeni-uThukela Water, u-Advocate Vusi Khuzwayo, namhlanje ekuseni ukubhunga ngezimbangela zalokhu kuphazamiseka kwamanzi nokuthi yini okumele yenziwe ukuze kubhekwane nale nselelo.

 

Imbangela enkulu yokuphazamiseka kwamanzi wukuthi isidingo samanzi ahlanzekile eThekwini singaphezulu kakhulu kunamanzi akhona njengamanje. Isidingo samanzi senyuke kakhulu eThekwini kanti imbangela enkulu yalokhu wukwenyuka kwesibalo sabantu. Enye imbangela wukuvuza kwengqalasizinda kaMasipala yokuphakela amanzi.

 

Lokhu kudala ukuthi amadamu okugcina amanzi asale engenawo nhlobo amanzi njengoba amanzi aphumayo emaningi kunalawo angenayo. Lokhu kuthikameza ikakhulukazi izindawo eziphezulu nalezo ezikude namadamu okugcina amanzi njengoba inani lamanzi kulawa madamu lehla kakhulu ngendlela yokuthi amanzi agcine esemancane kakhulu, engasenawo umfutho odingekayo ukuze afinyelele ezindaweni eziphezulu nezikude. Lena iyona mbangela enkulu yezinselelo zamanzi eChatsworth, eMlazi nasezindaweni ezingomakhelwane eziseningizimu, kanjalo naseVerulam, oThongathi naseNtuzuma enyakatho yeTheku.  

 

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uMngeni-uThukela Water kudingeke ukuba uvale elinye lamapayi awo ngenyanga edlule ukuze iSouth African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) ikwazi ukuqhuba umsebenzi wayo wokulungisa umgwaqo u-N3. Lokhu kuholele ekutheni kuphazamiseke amanzi eHillcrest nezindawo ezongomakhelwane ezisentshonalanga engaphandle. Lo msebenzi usungasemaphethelweni futhi leli payipi kulindeleke libuyele lisebenze ngoLwesine, ngomhla ka-27 Febhuwari 2025.

 

Ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthi amanzi ayahlinzekwa ngisho nangezikhathi zesomiso, uMnyango wezaManzi nezeNhlanzeko yiwona onquma inani lamanzi uMngeni-uThukela Water ongakwazi ukuwadonsa ohlelweni lwamanzi loMngeni ukuze uwaphakele iTheku. Inani lamanzi emadamini lehla kakhulu uma kunesomiso, ngakho ngeke kwaba yisinqumo esiphusile ukwenyusa inani lamanzi adonswayo emadamini ngoba nakhu amadamu egcwele.

 

UMngeni-uThukela ubudonsa amanzi angaphezulu kwalawo anqunywe wumnyango, ngakho ngo-Okthoba 2024, umnyango ukhiphe umyalelo wokuba ancishiswe amanzi adonswa emadamini. Ngesikhathi samaholidi kaDisemba, umnyango ulumise okwesikhashana lolu hlelo lokuncishiswa kwamanzi ngoba ubona isidingo samanzi siphezulu kakhulu ngalesi sikhathi kodwa waphinde walubuyisela phakathi noJanuwari 2025.

 

Ziningi izinhlelo eziqhubekayo njengamanje zokwengeza inani lamanzi ohlelweni loMngeni. Ukunwetshwa kwedamu laseHazelmere okudle uR820 million kuphothulwe ngo-2023 kanti umthamo wamanzi akwazi ukugcinwa kuleli damu usuphindeke kabili. UMngeni-uThukela Water uphinde waphothula nohlelo lukaR135 million lokwengeza umthamo wamanzi esikhungweni iHazelmere Water Treatment Works osuke ku-55 megalitres waya ku-75 megalitres ngosuku (okungamalitha awu-75 million ngosuku). Umthamo wamanzi wakulesi sikhungo uzophinde wengezwe ube wu-90 megalitres ngosuku eminyakeni emithathu ezayo, okuzodla uR25 million.

 

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uMngeni-uThukela Water wakha idamu nesikhungo sokuhlanza amanzi esiwu-100 million megalitres emfuleni uMkhomazi. ITrans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) isihambe elide ibanga emsebenzini wayo wokuqongelela uR28 billion wokwakha idamu elisha elikhulu nomhubhe wokudlulisela amanzi emfuleni uMkhomazi, okuyingxenye yohlelo uMkhomazi Water Project. UMngeni-uThukela umatasatasa nenqubo yokwengeza umthamo wokuhlanza amanzi ukuze ukwazi ukuhlanza amanzi engeziwe ozowahlinzeka iTheku uma uhlelo lwaseMkhomazi seluphothuliwe.

 

UMasipala weTheku nawo unezinhlelo zawo eziqhubekayo zokwengeza inani lamanzi ahlinzekwayo.

 

Ngaphezu kwesikhungo sawo samanzi asetshenziswa kabusha esisetshenziswa yizimboni njengamanje, okuwuhlelo olwenziwa ngokusebenzisana nemboni ezimele, uMasipala umatasatasa nenqubo yokwengeza ezinye izindawo ezimbili zamanzi asetshenziswa kabusha lapho kuzohlanzwa khona amanzi ukuze kukhiqizwe amanzi okuphuza ahambisana namazinga afanele okuhlanzeka kwamanzi. UMasipala uhlela nokuqala uhlelo lokuhlunga usawoti emanzini asolwandle. Zonke lezi zinhlelo zizokwenziwa ngokusebenzisana kukahulumeni nemboni ezimele.

 

Zikhona nezinhlelo ezinkulu uMasipala oqhubeka nazo zokuqinisekisa ukuthi uhlelo lwawo lokuphakela amanzi aluphazamiseki kalula nokuthi lubhekana kangcono nokwenyuka kwesidingo samanzi ngale kokuphazamiseka okutheni kokuhlinzekwa kwamanzi. Izibonelo zalezi zinhlelo zifaka uhlelo lukaR1.2 billion lokuthuthukiswa kwepayipi elikhulu lamanzi, iSouthern Aqueduct, lapho sekuphothulwe khona ingxenye yomsebenzi ewu-30%; ukuvulwa kweNorthern Aqueduct lapho sekuphothulwe khona cishe u-70% womsebenzi; nohlelo lukaR60 million lokulungiswa kwesikhungo iTongaat Water Treatment Works, oluzoqala kulo nyaka. UMasipala unazo nezinye izinhlelo eziqhubeka iTheku lonkana okubalwa kuzo ukulungiswa kwezikhungo zokumpompa amanzi nokufakwa kwama-generator eVerulam.

 

UMkhandlu weTheku ugunyaze isu lokuguqula isimo samanzi ngo-Ephreli 2023, eseliqalile ukusebenza kuyimanje. Leli su lihlanganisa ukuthi imali etholakala ngokudayiswa kwamanzi ibekelwe imisebenzi yamanzi ngokukhethekile, ukuncishiswa kwamanzi amoshekayo agcine engangenisanga nzuzo, ukwenza kangcono umsebenzi wokulungisa lapho kuvuza khona, nokunqanyulwa kwamanzi axhunywe ngokungemthetho.

 

Imisebenzi yokulungiswa kwezindawo ezivuzayo ebisalele emuva isiyehle kakhulu. UMasipala usezinhlelweni zokuqala ubudlelwano bokusebenzisana nemboni ezimele ukuze uthole uxhaso nongoti abazosiza ukunciphisa inani lamanzi angangenisi mali. Luyaqhubeka futhi nohlelo lokukhipha izinkontileka ezixhaswe wuMasipala zokunciphisa amanzi angangenisi mali.

 

Okunye okwenziwa wuMasipala wukufaka amawashi okunciphisa umfutho wamanzi, okuzosiza ukwehlisa izigameko zokuqhuma kwamapayipi, kuqinisekise nokuthi ingqalasizinda yamanzi isebenza isikhathi eside. Lokhu kuzophinde kunciphise nokumosheka kwamanzi ngenxa yokuvuza kwamapayipi. Uhlelo lokushintsha amapayipi amadala avuzayo nalo luyaqhubeka.

 

Emhlanganweni wanamhlanje ekuseni kuvunyelwene ngalezi zinyathelo ezilandelayo ezizothathwa, ngapezu kwalezi zinhlelo ezibalwe ngenhla:

 

a) UMkhandlu uzobheka ukuqalwa ngokusemthethweni kohlelo lokulawula inani lamanzi asetshenziswayo ngokusebenzisa imithetho kaMasipala

 

b) Njengoba amanzi athe ukwenyuka emadamini ohlelo lwamanzi loMngeni ngenxa yezimvula zakamuva, uMnyango wezaManzi uzophinde ulumise okwesikhashana uhlelo lokuncishiswa kwamanzi atholwa yiTheku kusukela namhlanje kuze kube wumhla ka-23 Ephreli 2025.

 

c) Imihlangano yamasonto onke ephakathi kukaMasipala, uMngeni-uThukela Water, noMnyango wezaManzi izoqhubeka futhi kuzoba khona nemihlangano phakathi kweMeya, uNgqongqoshe, noSihlalo woMngeni-uThukela Water njalo ngesonto ukuze kubhekwe inqubekelaphambili.

 

d) Lo msebenzi uzohlelwa emihlanganweni emayelana nezamanzi nezokuthuthwa kwendle ebanjwa njalo emasontweni amabili kwiPresidential eThekwini Working Group.

 

e) UMasipala noMngeni-uThukela Water bazoxhumana kangcono nomphakathi ukuwazisa mayelana nokuphazamiseka kwamanzi, okubalwa ukuchaza ngezimbangela nezinyathelo ezithathwayo.

 

Kukhuthazwa umphakathi ukuba nawo ubambe iqhaza lawo ekubhekaneni nenselelo yokuphazamiseka kwamanzi. Bonke abantu bakhuthazwa ukuba bonge amanzi ngokuthi banciphise amanzi asetshenziswa ngumuntu ngamunye ngosuku. Umbiko omayelana nokusetshenziswa kwamanzi okhishwe wuMnyango wezaManzi ngoDisemba 2023 uveze ukuthi umuntu ngamunye usebenzisa amanzi awu-298 wamalitha ngosuku, ekubeni isilinganiso samanye amazwe omhlaba siwu-173 wamalitha umuntu ngamunye ngosuku.