Nkangala District Municipality WSDP

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Principles and Objectives of this Water Master Plan

The Council of the NDM has resolved to adopt the MpumalangaProvince’s water and sanitation targets which are as follows:

  • All households have access to basic water supply and basic sanitation facilities by 2010.
  • All schools and clinics have adequate and safe water supply and sanitation services by 2007.
  • Free basic water and sanitation policy implemented and implementation monitored by June 2007.
  • All bucket toilets are eradicated by 2006.

The IDP furthermore gives (2007, NDM: 114) the following objectives for the water and sanitation sector:

  • To ensure that the Master Plan for bulk water supply emanating from the Water Services Development Plan is compatible with the reticulation needs of local municipalities.
  • To ensure that metering and payment collection systems are upgraded parallel with the water provision systems.
  • To implement projects in line with the WSDPs and the NDM’s Regional Water Master plan.
  • To ensure that local municipalities fulfil WSA functions as required by the legislation.
  • To investigate possible alternative sanitation systems to pit latrines that are environmentally friendly, yet cost effective, in order to serve communities in the towns and villages.
  • To ensure that the areas in need for VIPs are listed and communicated to the Water Collaboration Forum.
  • To continuously maintain, upgrade and expand the waterborne sanitation systems in the District and DWAF for funding.
  • To review the District-wide Free Basic Services Policy.
  • To formulate a District-wide Sanitation Policy to ensure uniform sanitation standards and appropriate, affordable technology.
  • To conduct a Section 78(i), (ii) and (iii) investigation on water and sanitation in the District.
  • To assist all municipalities in the NDM area to achieve the Millennium Targets.
  • To investigate the best model to manage the bulk water supply to the Western Highveld Region including establishment of a multi jurisdictional entity.
  • To ensure service delivery to farm areas.

The objectives as identified for this Water Master Plan (WMP) can be described as follows:

To give a regional perspective across Water Services Authorities boundaries of the several issues related to the provisioning of water and sanitation services, while also presenting the challenges and strategies at local level by summarizing, comparing and interpreting data in maps, tables, graphs and schematics. Specifically this will include:

  • The indication of the levels of service (LOS) of the communities and WSAs and to present the backlogs from existing data indicating both the infrastructure related and the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) related backlogs; and
  • The comparison of the WSAs to each other towards the identification of specific challenges in service delivery and to guide them to the implementation of best practise procedures.

That the WMP will serve as a “Business Plan” for the NDM for the several bulk and retail projects serving as a selling tool and assisting towards determining the feasibilities thereof.

Limiting Conditions in the Compilation of this Water Master Plan

A specific condition to the report is that it must be completed by the end of June 2007. The short timeframe of two months preclude any extensive ground work and limits the investigation to a desktop exercise based on existing data. The document were updated during the months of February and March 2008 to reflect the comments received on the draft document and to allow for the best project lists available to be included.

The most important source documents are the WSDPs of the WSAs. These documents displayed a variance in completeness and none of them have been adopted at the time of the writing of this WMP.

This WMP should be read in conjunction with the IDPs of the WSAs as well as any WSDPs as available or other strategic planning documents (e.g. Water Master Plans).

Overview of the NkangalaDistrictMunicipality

The NDM is one of three district municipalities in the MpumalangaProvince. It covers an area of approximately 17 000 km2 and is located in the north-western corner of the Mpumalanga Province and borders on Gauteng Province to the west, Limpopo Province to the north, the Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) to the south, and the Ehlanzeni District Municipality (EDM) to the east. The NDM comprises six local municipalities and the Mdala District Management Area (DMA), i.e.:

Table: List of Local Municipalities in the NDM

Municipality / Map No. / Demarcation No. / Area (Km2) / Number of Wards
Delmas / 2 / MP311 / 1,567.69 / 8
Emalahleni / 3 / MP312 / 2,677.67 / 32
Steve Tshwete / 4 / MP313 / 3,976.42 / 24
Emakhazeni / 5 / MP314 / 4,735.58 / 7
Thembisile / 6 / MP315 / 2,384.29 / 30
Dr JS Moroka / 7 / MP316 / 1,416.42 / 30
NDM / 1 / DC31 / 16,758.07 / 131

The municipalities of Dr JS Moroka LM and Thembisile LM are included in the area described as the Western Highveld Region (WHR).

The economy of the area is critical to any successful development strategies and need to be taken into consideration. A Local Economic Development (LED) investigation was conducted during 2004 and updated in 2006. Its main findings are summarized as a SWOT analysis in its executive summary (2004, NDM):

Table: SWOT Analysis of the Economy of the NDM

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths / Weaknesses
Maputo corridor transverses the District / Low skills level
Existing steel-cluster / Deteriorating rural infrastructure
A number of government initiatives in the area / Spatial inequalities
Availability of natural resources / Underdeveloped sectoral opportunities
Culturally diverse communities / Uncoordinated development implementation
Opportunities / Threats
Exploiting export opportunities / HIV/AIDS impact on population
Development of SMMEs / Unemployment (increasing)
Scope for large scale tourism development / Poverty (increasing)
Opportunities for comprehensive steel and chemical development / Dependence on limited large sectors

The economic performance of the LMs can, furthermore, be indicated by their growth rate and proportional contribution to the NDM to identify their relevant performances:

Figure: Economic Shift Share Matrix

The IDP reports (2007, NDM: 25) that the average monthly income per employed person is higher in the NDM (R3146, 60) than in Mpumalanga (R2701, 87), but is very low compared to Gauteng (R5647, 97). It is estimated that more than a third of employed individuals earn less than R800, 00 per month. The bulk of poverty is situated in Thembisile LM, Dr JS Moroka LM and Emalahleni LM.

Population of the NkangalaDistrictMunicipality

The population figures within the NDM have been compiled from various sources as indicated below:

Table: Population figures

Municipality / Census 2001 / WSDP / IDP(3) / DWAF Macro Planning(2) / NDM WMP Adopted figure(1)
Pop / hh / p/hh / Pop / Pop / Pop / Pop
Delmas / 56,210 / 13,391 / 4.20 / 59,650 / 56,207 / 61,416 / 59,650
Emalahleni / 276,412 / 74,919 / 3.69 / 316,991 / 276,412 / 305,065 / 316,991
Steve Tshwete / 142,776 / 36,229 / 3.94 / 222,076 / 146,987 / 159,070 / 222,076
Emakhazeni / 43,006 / 9,724 / 4.42 / 59,298 / 43,000 / 49,601 / 59,298
Thembisile / 258,875 / 58,233 / 4.45 / 287,657 / 258,875 / 287,658 / 287,657
Dr JS Moroka / 243,315 / 52,521 / 4.63 / 267,748 / 243,304 / 267,748 / 267,748
Total for NDM / 1,020,594 / 245,017 / 4.17 / 1,213,420 / 1,024,785 / 1,130,557 / 1,213,420
NDM / 1,116,384 / 1,213,420

Notes:

1-The figures adopted for the WMP is the same as the figures for the WSDPs of the LMs.

2-The figures used in the DWAF Marco Planning are also based on Census 2001 but reflect population changes by making use of growth rates. It is, however, only indicated for reference purposes.

3-Note that most of the figures used in the IDPs correspond to Census 2001 and were not updated to reflect changes in population during the past 6 years.

Provisioning of services

The provisioning of services must be seen as part of an integrated chain of events / actions as depicted below:

Figure:Components of a water business

First, the delivery of services will be discussed and then the other components (i.e. Framework, Planning, Financial and Systems) will receive due attention. The delivery of services is comprised of the bulk infrastructure, the retail networks, as well as the operation and maintenance as required.

Critical challenges

The NDM, together with the local WSAs, faces some critical challenges in the achievement of the 2014 Vision:

  • Eradication of the basic sanitation services backlogs of approximately 118 861 (or 42%) households
  • Ensuring access to adequate water resources for the needs of specifically Dr JS Moroka LM
  • Management of the water quality issues emanating from the mining operations and contamination of the Loskop Dam downstream
  • Curbing water losses by intensifying the WDM & WC efforts in the area by promoting strategic planning and implementation of flow / volume control retail systems in the area
  • Meeting effluent quality standards from the various STPsand promoting water re-use where feasible
  • Ensuring safe water for Delmas LM in light of the recent outbreaks of water related diseases
  • A lack of retention of skilled personnel exhibits itself in most of the WSAs
  • The WHR presents specific challenges to the NDM, i.e.:
  • Improvement of O&M of the regional schemes in specifically the Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka LMs
  • Poverty and low economic activities in the WHR, connected with low cost recovery and high rates of NRW
  • Lack of tenure rights in the WHR, aggravating the difficulty of the implementation of income through rates and taxes
  • Poor institutional performance in the WHR regarding staffing, training, and management
  • Institutional reform of the WSP arrangements in the WHR

After the provisioning of an overview of the water sector below, the strategies to overcome these challenges will be discussed:

Bulk Scheme Infrastructure for Services Provisioning

Water and sanitation services provisioning to the population is achieved mainly through large schemes. It is critical that these schemes continue to deliver high quality services. It must furthermore be emphasized that the industrial centres are typically served by these large schemes and that the economy is, therefore, directly linked to the optimal functioning of the schemes.

The four largest schemes of Middelburg, Witbank, Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka are depicted below separately while the smaller schemes are grouped together:

Figure: Relative Sizes of Schemes

Figure: Population served by Schemes

Approximately 86% of the population of the NDM is served through the large schemes in the area. The large water schemes are critical to service provisioning and to the local economy in the area. These schemes need to be valued as such and every effort to keep them in top operating condition must be made.

Use of Groundwater

The utilisation of groundwater in the NDM is limited and the following main users can be identified:

  • The provisioning of potable water for the Delmas / Botleng Scheme;
  • The provisioning of water for communities in small local schemes in the far north-western portion of Dr JS Moroka LM; and
  • The supply to small rural communities and farms dispersed throughout the interior of the NDM. Emakhazeni LM with its large sparsely populated interior is characterised by the reliance on groundwater for the rural areas.

The extensive use of groundwater as a source of potable water is limited to the Delmas-scheme. In the western regions of Dr JS Moroka LM the communities are dependent of groundwater, while its use in the rest of the NDM is mostly limited to farms and scattered rural communities. It is nevertheless a strategic source of water as many people are dependent on it for drinking water. The DWAF drought relief projects underline the importance of this resource. It is recommended that groundwater sources be safeguarded against pollution and that the DWAF Drought Relief projects be supported where necessary.

Retail Infrastructure for Services Provisioning

The retail infrastructure for the provisioning of services is indicated below for water and sanitation separately.

Figure: LOS per WSA - Water

It is evident that backlogs have been addressed to a large extent. Controlled volume supply has not been implemented in any meaningful way in the area and needs to be implemented specifically in the WHR.

Retail services provisioning for water is well established and the backlogs are limited to about 22 019 (or 8%) of the total number of households. The remaining backlogs do, however, not include for the approximate 37 000 households in urban shacks in Emalahleni LM. These households need to be targeted as a matter of high priority.

The backlogs for the provisioning of sanitation services are, however, more challenging:

Figure: LOS per WSA - Sanitation

Buckets have been eradicated, but pit latrines still remain huge in Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka LMs.

Retail sanitation services require more attention and approximately 118 861 (or 42%) of the total number of households is considered as backlogs. It is evident that the drive to eradicate this backlog needs special attention. The installation of waterborne sanitation systems must be discouraged in areas where water is a scarce resource and cost recovery and maintenance of systems are not well established such as Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka LMs.

Cost of eradicating backlogs (R million)

Table: Required budget to eradicate retail services backlogs

Required budget to eradicate backlogs - Water Services
Water / Sanitation
LM / Backlogs - HH / Required Budget / Backlogs - HH / Required Budget
Delmas / 2,148 / 19,332,000 / 4,356 / 16,552,800
Dr JS Moroka / 6,220 / 55,980,000 / 43,457 / 165,136,600
Emakhazeni / 743 / 6,687,000 / 3,563 / 13,539,139
Emalahleni / 8,347 / 75,123,000 / 14,000 / 53,200,000
Steve Tshwete / 215 / 1,935,000 / 512 / 1,945,600
Thembisile / 4,364 / 39,276,000 / 56,419 / 214,392,200
Total - NDM / 22,037 / 198,333,000 / 122,307 / 464,766,339

The unit rates (Water = R 9 000; Sanitation = R 3 800) used in above-mentioned calculations are in line with industry standards as prescribed by DWAF and include professional fees; P&Gs and other associated costs but exclude Value Added Tax.

The required budgets for bulk related backlogs are provided below:

Table: Bulk Infrastructure Projects – Backlog Related

Bulk Infrastructure Projects - Backlog related
LM / Project Type / Budget ( R )
W/S / 06/07 / 07/08 / 08/09 / 09/10 / 10/11 / Total
Delmas / W / - / 31,550,000 / 2,100,000 / 2,100,000 / 2,310,000 / 38,060,000
S / - / 59,140,000 / 15,105,000 / 4,506,000 / 5,107,000 / 83,858,000
DR JS Moroka / W / 2,300,000 / 7,610,000 / 38,000,000 / 52,000,000 / 50,090,000 / 150,000,000
S / - / - / 33,000,000 / 58,000,000 / 62,000,000 / 153,000,000
Emakhazeni / W / 150,000 / 16,800,000 / 4,000,000 / - / - / 20,950,000
Emalahleni / W / - / 35,600,000 / 34,800,000 / 16,500,000 / 11,400,000 / 98,300,000
S / - / 12,100,000 / 65,341,693 / 56,275,000 / 18,250,000 / 151,966,693
Steve Tshwete / W / - / - / 8,000,000 / 10,000,000 / 12,000,000 / 30,000,000
S / 1,500,000 / 19,250,000 / 31,750,000 / 31,750,000 / 84,250,000
Thembisile / W / - / - / 25,000,000 / 18,000,000 / 10,000,000 / 53,000,000
S / - / 45,000,000 / 41,000,000 / 30,000,000 / 116,000,000
Sub Total / Water / 2,450,000 / 91,560,000 / 96,900,000 / 85,600,000 / 75,800,000 / 390,310,000
Sub Total / Sanitation / - / 71,240,000 / 113,446,693 / 118,781,000 / 85,357,000 / 589,074,693
TOTAL / 2,450,000 / 162,800,000 / 210,346,693 / 204,381,000 / 161,157,000 / 979,384,693

DWAF administers a fund for bulk infrastructure projects and the available MTEF amounts under this funding are:

  • 2007/08-R 300 million
  • 2008/09-R 450 million
  • 2009/10-R 650 million
  • 2010/11-R 689 million

Applications must be done by the WSAs at the regional office of DWAF in Nelspruit.

Operations and Maintenance

O&M is intimately linked to the framework (e.g. Section 78 assessments and policies and bylaws), the planning (e.g. AMP), functional management systems and the financial budgeting. Five areas (Budget, Distribution of water, Water Quality, STP O&M, General condition and Planned Maintenance) were evaluated for the effectiveness of O&M and a simplified score card compiled with the results as graphically indicated below:

Figure: O&M Score Sheet

It is evident that the weakest WSAs are Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka LMs. Despite scoring higher, Emalahleni LM also requires urgent attention to their O&M budgets and practises. The picture, when looking at budgeting, highlights the lack in O&M in the WHR:

Figure: Annual budget for O&M

While the O&M in Steve Tshwete is reported to be under control, it has been pointed out (Emalahleni LM, 2007: 181-3) in the WMP for Emalahleni LM that a serious maintenance backlog exists and that the budget needs to be increased substantially.It is reported in the WMP that “there is also a serious need to front load the OPEX budget during the first number of years in order to address the backlog of maintenance that has occurred to date.” The refurbishment-budget for Emalahleni LM, therefore, needs to reflect this need. Emakhazeni LM is not considered to be suffering from a serious backlog in maintenance and the current budget is considered to be adequate. Some areas do, however, require replacement of networks due to ageing of the infrastructure.

The two LMs in the WHR exhibit a marked lower budgeting for O&M. It has been pointed out by several commentators that there is a need for increased budgets for O&M in this area. The budget for the TLM as shown above includes the figure of R 9,9 million as agreed in the Transfer Agreement between DWAF and the TLM. It is, however, uncertain as to the actual expenditure by DWAF in this regard. Constant low O&M expenditure will inevitably lead to a loss of functionality, decreased useful lifespan and high replacement costs of infrastructure.

Customer Care:

The WSAs generally does not have dedicated Customer Care offices. Only Steve Tshwete and Emakhazeni LMs could provide records of the complaints and reactions times. Similarly, the education of consumers and pollution awareness programmes are lacking with most WSAs, except for Steve Tshwete and Emakhazeni LMs. Thembisile LM does have project specific programmes running.

It is recommended that all WSAs set up official call centres where the public will be able to log any requests or complaints and receive feedback. These centres need to have systems for the logging of these requests and it need to be linked to the O&M teams and to reporting at management levels. Typical reports should indicate the number of requests per service rendered, location and identity particulars, costs and work required, etc. Finally, the need for identification of weak and hot spots in the system must be able to be identified with these statistics. Several computerised systems exists that can greatly enhance this function, but care needs to be taken in choosing one appropriate for the level of expertise of the operators and the specific needs of the WSA.

Health and Water Conservation and Pollution Control Programmes, for the education of consumers and the public, need to be linked to the Engineering Department.

Water Resources, Water Balance and Water Demand Management

There are two Water Management Areas (WMA) covering the NDM (See Map 13), i.e. the Olifants and the Inkomati WMAs. Two other WMAs are considered important:Upper Vaal and Usutu WMAs. There is no spare capacity within the NDM area and that any new demands will have to be met with imports from outside of the WMA.

The main recommendations for the Olifants and the Inkomati WMAs are summarised below:

The Olifants WMA:

  • As a first priority water therefore needs to be freed up through compulsory licensing and supporting measures, to address the existing deficits as well as to meetthe ecological requirements.
  • In addition, water need to be provided to support the strong potential for economic development in the Olifants water management area (in the mining, power generation, urban and industrialsectors).
  • Considering the already high level of water resources development in the water management area, together with the relatively low economic efficiency of irrigation water use, further expansion of irrigation should only be allowed under highly exceptional circumstances.
  • Similarly, it is recommended that expansion of forestationonly be allowed subject to the introduction of appropriate compensatory measures with respect to the additional water to be intercepted.

The sub-areas are described in more detail below: