By David Masango
GOVERNMENT is set to amend the Water Services Act to recognise local government's leading role in water services and align it with the broader local government legislation.
Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said this at a water summit underway in Polokwane, Limpopo, today.
The Minister challenged delegates at the summit to develop models for how each sphere of government could support the other in delivering water services to communities.
She said her department would concentrate on "developmental regulation", providing support to local government to help it to meet the standards set for it.
This once the water schemes the department was still running were transferred to municipalities, a move targeted for April 2005.
Government's key challenge is to ensure that water is delivered to the people safely, reliably and efficiently with the local government sphere taking the leading role.
The most important principles guiding the water services legislation, she said, were that everyone had a right to safe water and sanitation to ensure a healthy environment.
"We need to ensure that all have access to at least Free Basic Water; we need to transfer the existing water supply schemes to local government which are closer to the people and can ensure that they are adequately managed and maintained - although we will stand by to support and assist," said Sonjica.
She called for co-operation between her department, all water users and municipalities.
"I would therefore, like to confirm that my department will continue to offer information on the water situation and help them to plan to meet their needs - for it is by planning to use what we have that we can best avoid crisis situations," assured Sonjica.
She promised that where there were "real challenges of drought" and the department would provide technical support through established disaster management systems as well as financial assistance to ease the effects. According to her, government allocated R51million in the last two financial years to municipalities under the Drought Relief Programme to relieve communities of the most severe effects of the drought.
"But, I repeat, we must avoid crisis by planning at the right time," she stressed. -
Source: BuaNews
Presentation for Seminar
