Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, has marked World Water Day celebration by officially handing over a newly Garden Route Dam raw water pumpstation to the George Local Municipality, Western Cape.
Unveiled on Saturday, the newly upgraded Garden Route Pump Station and its association infrastructure, forms part of the Budget Facility Water Project being implemented at George Local Municipality.
The upgraded work at the dam and pump station involved replacing the old 600 millimetres (mm) diameter pipe with new 800 mm diameter steel outlet pipes to increase the pumping capacity of raw water into the balancing dam.
In addition, two 1 250 kilovolt-amperes (KVA) generators were installed to ensure uninterrupted pumping, even during power supply failures.
The department stated that this project is one of 12 sub-projects under the Water Security and Remedial Works Project underway in the municipality.
The total project value exceeds R1.1 billion and is funded by the National Treasury’s Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The department allocated the funds to the municipality to implement the project over four years.
George Municipality, which is also the implementing agent of the project, has contributed an additional R305 million to make the total budget R1.4 billion.
The multiple-phase project started in 2022 and is anticipated to be completed by December 2025.
Speaking at the event, Majodina said the handing over of the completed project at George Municipality, reaffirms government’s commitment to expand access to safe drinking water to all citizens.
“George municipality is rapidly growing with the current daily potable water demand of 38 megalitres per day, and it is projected to increase to 106 megalitres per day over the next 50 years. Today is a demonstration of our commitment to ensure that we meet the rising water demand that is occasioned by the rapid population growth,” the Minister said.
She said the project was an example of a successful inter-departmental collaboration between the national, provincial and local governments.
She added that the project would ensure that the municipality has a sustainable supply of water for generations to come.
Mayor of George Municipality, Jacqueline von Brandis, expressed deep appreciation to the Minister and the department for the funding as it has unlocked economic and socio-economic opportunities for the tourism-inclined municipality.
“We are celebrating an example of intergovernmental success. We are here to showcase the outstanding work and service delivery that can be achieved if we work together. Our BFI grant has been instrumental in enabling us to make significant strides in ensuring that our ever-growing city is water-secured for generations to come,” von Brandis said.
The mayor also extended her gratitude towards the Department of Water and Sanitation and National Treasury for this investment.
George Municipality currently provides water services to over 294 942 residents from 85 931 households across 28 wards, including Pacaltsdorp, Thembalethu, and coastal areas such as Kleinkrantz, Wilderness, Victoria Bay, Herold’s Bay, and Gwaing.
Over the years, the municipality has experienced a substantial increase in its population.
The 12 phases of the project will improve water security and resilience for the current residents and support significant future expansion in various areas within George.
The projects will also prevent sewage spillages through upgrading critical sewage pump stations.
The core of the project is to increase the security of raw water supply to the Garden Route Dam and raw water balancing dams and to increase the capacity of two Water Treatment Works (WTW), which currently provide 38 megalitres (ml/d) to communities.
The project will therefore increase this capacity to 60 60 Megaliters Per Day (ml/d), through the construction of a new 20 ml/d extension and the upgrading of the old WTW.
The upgrade of the Kaaimans River raw water pump station, which transports water from the Kaaimans River to the Garden Route Dam, will improve the supply and storage of raw water.
This enhancement will increase the bulk availability and security of raw water for the current and future population of George.
The scope of the 12 sub-projects includes:
- A new 20 ml/d water treatment works adjacent to the old 38 ml/d water treatment plant
- Construction of a new sludge treatment plant
- Rehabilitation of old water treatment plant
- Refurbishment of the existing sludge discharge system in the old water treatment plant
- Upgrade of Garden Route Dam outlet supply pipework
- New Generator for Garden Route Dam Pumpstation
- New 40 megalitres balancing dam and pipeline to new water treatment plant
- Replacement of pumps for Kaaimans River pumpstations
- New reservoir for Pacaltsdorp (West)
- New reservoir, tower, and pump station of Pacaltsdorp (East)
- New pump station and upgrade of supply pipeline for Thembalethu (West)
- New reservoir, tower, and pump station for Thembalethu (East)
The department highlighted that George Municipality is geared for current and future residential and commercial developments in the east of George and two other more prominent future development areas to the east of Thembalethu and the south of Pacaltsdorp.
“Therefore, the water security and remedial works project will provide certainty that water services will be provided to new residential units as well as commercial and industrial sites,” the department said.
– SAnews.gov.za