President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed a five-pronged action plan to address water supply interruptions in municipalities across the country. This follows the establishment of a National Water Crisis Committee (WATERCOM), chaired by the president, earlier this year.
The National Water Action Plan outlines a programme to:
- Address capacity challenges in municipalities,
- Implement structural reforms at municipal and national levels,
- Attract private-sector investment,
- Review legislation and
- Tackle water tanker and construction mafias.
“By acting boldly and decisively to improve the performance of Eskom and reform our energy system, we were able to end load shedding and achieve a secure and reliable energy supply. Now, we are applying the same approach to the water crisis that has been unfolding in many parts of our country,” Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
Reflecting on the country’s water woes earlier this week, Jonathan Erasmus of WaterCAN said frameworks were only as good as their results.
“South Africa really has master plans. The real question is, who’s responsible? What are the deadlines? Where is the money? And what happens when commitments are not met?” he asked during an interview with Salaamedia.
“Water security will not be achieved through another framework without measurable deliverables and consequences for failure. That’s really the heart of the matter.”
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Image credit: Flickr/ Ivan Radick
