Bring the private sector on board to improve water supply, says Minara Chamber’s Fawzia Peer. [Picture: VOC FM]
Durban’s water woes can be addressed at least partially by bringing on board the private sector. This is according to Fawzia Peer, vice president of the Minara Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking in an interview on Salaamedia on Tuesday morning, Peer said the council would have to act with speed to address the challenges hampering water supply.
“Municipalities will have to do something drastically and quickly with the water infrastructure that is ageing,” she said. But burst pipes and dry taps have already become part of life for the city’s residents.
While the city’s Facebook page on Tuesday celebrated progress in two projects meant to improve water supply to northern areas, residents in the southern region had supply disrupted when a pipe leak prompted emergency repair work.
Peer, who previously served as acting mayor, looked to countries like China where, she said, “they always involve the private sector”. She added the Chamber had “made inroads“ through its ongoing engagements with the city.
As major urban hubs scramble to find solutions to the water issues in a country that is already well-known to be water-scarce, examples abroad might be sources of inspiration. In China, for example, the private sector has been at the forefront of innovation in desalination and reuse technologies.
In January, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) slammed the municipality for being unable to ensure access to water. It said this was tantamount to residents’ Constitutional rights.
