The ACDP welcomes National Government’s intervention in the Warrenton water crisis in the Northern Cape.
We have been notified of an approved allocation of R5 145 435 by the Municipal Disaster Response Grant, situated in the Department of Cooperative Governance, for flood intervention measures in Warrenton.
The project to be prioritised by the Magareng Local Municipality for this allocation is the restoration of the main supply pipeline that connects the Water Treatment Plant on the western side of the Vaal River and the water supply areas (Warrenton).
We hope and trust that these efforts will reach the most vulnerable, and that it will be managed in a way that ensures the most vulnerable receives relief.
By our own experiences, and that of Warrenton residents, a lack of technical expertise, capacity, coordination between departments, and other factors hampered the restoration of water to the area. Warrenton has been without water since February this year after flooding caused damage to the main water pipeline.
The ACDP had approached, and met with some, stakeholders which include the Departments of Water and Sanitation and COGTA, as well as the Magareng Local Municipality, requesting for disaster relief and the urgent restoration of the water supply to the Warrenton area.
Last week we escalated our request for National Government intervention in the matter to the Office of the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation. In addition, the ACDP submitted a petition, on behalf of Warrenton residents, to Parliament seeking its intervention and favourable relief.
Today, Deputy Minister Judith Tshabalala responded positively to our request and gave the assurance that she would pay a Ministerial Visit to Warrenton. We await the formal correspondence from the Deputy Minister’s office in this regard.
The ACDP’s response to this cause is driven by the distress of a community who have been without water, for almost five months, and its concerns about the negative impact this has on its most vulnerable residents.
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