Parliament’s water committee urges ‘distressed’ municipalities to make debt payment arrangements

By Nkhensani Chauke

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation has urged municipalities to make payment arrangements to settle their water debt in order to prevent disruptions to the entire water supply chain.

The committee said the municipalities’ water debt bills pose a huge risk to the water value chain, affecting the efficiency and sustainability of water services.

Leon Basson, the chairperson of the water and sanitation committee, said that municipalities’ failure to pay for bulk water services has had a ripple effect on the water value chain. 

“The greatest risk to the water value chain is the ability or unwillingness of municipalities to pay for bulk water services, which has a ripple effect on the entire water value chain,” said Basson.

“While we welcome the impressive medium-term plans by water boards, the inability to address the revenue challenge will render those plans futile.”

Basson said, however, that some