DWS, Treasury to back Joburg Water initiatives to tackle water woes

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), together with the National Treasury, has pledged to support initiatives by Joburg Water to tackle the city's long-standing water woes.

The entity said that a turnaround strategy and a business investment plan had been submitted to the National Treasury in order to calculate the funding and resources needed to help speed up maintenance work which is a major hindrance to the supply of water.

Joburg Water states that the commitment from National Treasury will aid in lifting a backlog of more than 20 billion to replace pipe and sewage lines, upgrade equipment as wel as the water treatment work plant.   

Joburg Water further said that a multi-stakeholder platform had been formed to work together to improve access to safe water in the municipality.

The entity's Nondumiso Mabuza: "In reference to the Department of Water and Sanitation, they have, together with ourselves and other municipalities, formed the platform for a water secure Gauteng, that includes civil society, business and industry as well as interest groups that is led by the World Bank and the main mandate for the platform is to strengthen a collective action as well as approach to improve water security in the municipality."