THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s drought mitigation plans are in overdrive as the region continues to experience insignificant rainfall and low dam levels that have affected water supply in some areas.
That’s according to Member of the Mayoral Committee for Infrastructure and Engineering, Thsonono Buyeye, who visited the KwaNobuhle Supply Pump Station to check on progress on the augmentation work currently underway.
This R50-million project commenced in July and entails the construction of a new sunken pump station and pipework to increase the pumping capacity.
Once completed, the pump station transfer capacities will be doubled, providing a reliable potable water supply to KwaNobuhle, Greenbushes and surrounding areas.
The municipality is also in the final stages of construction of a pipeline that will bring water from the Nooitgedagt Water System, supported by Gariep Dam, into the KwaNobuhle Supply Pump Station.
The KwaNobuhle pipeline is expected to be completed in two to four weeks’ time, should weather and site conditions permit.
Buyeye said that part of objective of the visit to this site was to get a sense of the project and interact with the officials on how we can push for a faster completion time, without compromising the quality of work.
“I have asked the project managers to rework the operation plan and see if we cannot finish at an earlier date. We are doing this because we understand the severity of the challenge we face,” said Buyeye. The current completion date is August 2022.
“What is good about this facility is that it will guarantee us security of water supply for the community of KwaNobuhle. On completion, the pumping capacity will be in a position to cover not only KwaNobuhle in Uitenhage, through the City’s integrated system, but also the Western side of the City, which is supplied through the Kouga Dam, which is currently below five percent.”
