Utilities
Rapid growth is putting pressure on water utilities.
It is estimated that 70% of the country’s rural households rely on wood and paraffin for fuel. Parastatal Eskom generates 36 000 megawatts nationally, some of it from a large pumped storage facility in the Drakensberg Mountains. Another pumped storage facility is being built at Ingula, on the border with the Free State.
Companies like ArcelorMittal, a major consumer of electricity, are looking forward to Ingula coming on stream in 2012. The Midlands and southern KwaZulu-Natal will receive better power generation much sooner – the Alpha/Eros power line is being upgraded.
Greater Durban and the north coast have experienced huge growth in recent years, which has generated a massive increase in demand for water.
Pipelines and aqueducts bring water to built-up areas on the coast from dams such as Midmar, Albert Falls and Inanda on the Mgeni River and from Hazelmere Dam on the Mdloti River. The Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme supplements the normal supply of water to the Midmar Dam. The Mvoti River feeds the northern parts of the iLembe District Municipality.
The national Department of Water Affairs initiated a study to reflect on the current situation and to anticipate further demand. Future scenarios for securing more water include a river-transfer scheme on the Mkomazi River, reusing more water and raising the Hazelmere Dam.
Umgeni Water provides 340 million kilolitres of water to 4.8 million people living along the coast, not including Durban. The company has 514km of pipelines, 118km of tunnels, five dams, 10 waterworks, five water-treatment plants and two waste-water works.
eThekwini Water and Sanitation has set aside R800-million for a multi-year aqueduct project which will add 400 million litres of daily supply. The same utility is spending R850-million over a three-year period to mid-2010 on replacing nearly 3 000km of ageing pipes.
Large parts of the north of the province are served by Mhlathuze Water, which has built inter-basin transfer schemes, water-treatment plants and sewerage plants that it operates on behalf of local municipalities. The utility has assets valued at more than R3-billion and its area of supply covers 37 000 square kilometres.
