Cape Town - Theewaterskloof Municipality has taken proactive steps towards securing the future of their water supply, forming partnerships with the Dutch Water Board.
The municipal authorities met with the board to officiate their support for the Blue Deal Project that was initiated by the National Department of Water and Sanitation late last year.
This is a project aimed at enhancing access to sufficient clean and safe water for all by 2030 and beyond.
“As a municipality, we are committed to providing clean and sufficient water to all who work and live in our municipal area. We are excited at the future potential of this partnership.
“Last week, we had community participation initiatives in Villiersdorp and Grabouw and today we laid the foundation and outlines for the implementation of the programme in our municipal area,” reads the statement.
Marion Wierda of the Dutch Water Authorities said, “We can confirm the partnership with the municipality, at this stage the information about the project is available and can be communicated via the municipality.”
Ayanda Witbooi, a resident from Grabouw, said the new partnership could be a huge relief for the public should the project be a success.
“We can’t risk being uncertain about the future of our water, and having enough would cut the costs. At home we currently pay R350 every month to keep our water running and it’s not money we always have. I hope the municipality is envisioning the improvement of costs and the quality of the supply,” said Witbooi.
He said he was happy the municipality was prioritising the essentials.
“It’s not going to happen, but we know once it happens those who can’t afford to buy water or use other alternatives will still have water too, hopefully,” concluded Witbooi.
The municipality is a home to the largest dam in the Cape Town catchment area with a total capacity of 480 000 million litres, and was one of the resistant water schemes during the drought in the Western Cape between 2017/2018, and the Theewaterskloof is continuously working on initiatives to improve the water supply – with Project Lungisa having been instrumental last year.
“We look forward to sharing more highlights from this impressive initiative,” read the statement, referring to the new partnership.