National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Chairperson, Amos Masondo, has called on government to assist in closing existing gaps in the provision of water and sanitation services to South Africans.
Addressing the NCOP’s Ministerial Briefing on Water and Sanitation session held virtually on Tuesday, Masondo said the briefing’s focus is on progress in eradicating the gaps in the provision of water and sanitation.
“It (the session) is intended to provide us with the opportunity to receive information on the efforts by the three spheres of government with respect to the progress made, and measures taken, to deal with the challenges relating to the provision of water and sanitation,” Masondo said.
Masondo highlighted some legislative interventions undertaken by Parliament since the dawn of democracy to reverse the adverse effects of apartheid policies that subjected the poor majority to the margins of government services.
“Through these and other legislative and policy measures, the democratic state has been able to roll out massive infrastructure, and to avail free basic services to millions of poor households. However, challenges remain,” Masondo said.
The chairperson also pointed out well-known key impediments to water supply in informal settlements, rural and urban areas, including drought, aging infrastructure, and in-migration.
“There is also the phenomenon of demand-driven water scarcity – whereby water demand is higher than the capacity of available water sources, owing largely to the high rate of in-migration driven by the search for economic opportunities. Water pollution and ageing infrastructure also add to this challenge,” he said.
He further called on government and all stakeholders to use existing legislative and policy measures to foster better coordination between human settlement and supply of bulk water infrastructure.
During a briefing, Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu made presentations on how the department and its provincial counterparts plan to strengthen co-ordination and co-operation among the spheres to continue to address water supply challenges.
Other speakers in the session included the newly appointed President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Bheki Stofile, and MECs responsible for water and sanitation from various provinces.
Masondo implored all stakeholders to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development goals by ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
“Our own progress in this regard depends largely on how we close the existing gaps in the provision of water and sanitation,” Masondo said. – SAnews.gov.za
