The Goedertrouw Dam one of the biggest dams in KwaZulu-Natal which is located near Eshowe, some 100 kilometres away from Melmoth, has come to the rescue of the people of Mfanefile in the north of the province.
This was after, on Tuesday, the King Cetshwayo District Municipality finally commissioned phase two of the R45m bulk water pipeline project to ease the perennial water woes of the Mfanufile area.
The water project commenced on August 1, 2023, and it is expected to be completed within a year and start delivering water.
The bulk water scheme comes after another one in the province called the Vulindlela bulk water supply scheme, which is expected to improve the availability and supply of drinking water to various communities in the uMgungundlovu district, including Msunduzi and the uMngeni local municipalities.
The upgrading of the scheme follows the growth of the population of Vulindlela over the past decade as well as the increased municipal demand for water.
The Melmoth water scheme that is being undertaken and funded by the King Cetshwayo district municipality will benefit over 300 households, and it will also help establishments around the KwaMagwaza hospital.
Launching the project, the district mayor, Thami Ntuli, said there was a need for them to be proactive and add capacity as the population in the area has grown and the demand is beginning to outstrip the supply.
PICS: The King Cetshwayo district municipality has commissioned the R45 million Mfanefile (near KwaMagwaza) water project in Melmoth. The project is expected to be completed by August 2024 and benefit communities that are currently relying on boreholes for water. @IOL pic.twitter.com/janVixGPlZ
“Once this project is done, this project will supply water until it reaches the KwaMagwaza area. It will also help alleviate the challenge of water that is coming from the existing boreholes we have in the area,” Ntuli said.
He added that the existing boreholes in the area have started running dry after the water from the ground showed signs of drying up.
“With this project, we are trying to alleviate all those problems and provide reliable water solutions,” he added.
The municipality pleaded with local farmers and others who own vast land to cooperate with the contractor, as the pipeline from the dam will traverse through their farms.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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