Damn delays affect drought relief
With the winter low rainfall season approaching the level of the dam, now at only 49%, is expected to drop
TOUTED as the answer to future water security in the event of prolonged droughts in the region, work on the emergency Tugela-Goedertrouw Transfer Scheme (TTS) has ground to a halt.
This after the lead sub-contractor CMC was placed under business rescue in January and unpaid sub-contractors downed tools.
The tender for the Department of Water & Sanitation (DWS) turnkey project, awarded to service provider Aecom in 2016, was at the time valued at R407-million and would double the transfer rate from the present 1.1m3 per second to 2.4m3 per second.
By mid-2017, the projected cost was re-estimated at R650-million, including fixtures such as road and pedestrian bridges, with November 2018 being the revised completion date.
That date is now a pipe dream and with the sense of ‘fast tracking’ urgency severely compromised, new life is being breathed into the project
It is understood that payment issues are being negotiated between DWS and contractors, so that work can resume as soon as possible.
Against this background is the apparent public perception that the region’s drought is over – which is far from the reality.
The present Level 4 water usage restriction, imposed in March 2017 when the Goedertrouw Dam was at 31% capacity, is still in force.
With the winter low rainfall season approaching the level of the dam, now at only 49%, is expected to drop.
After initially being described as a ‘vital partner’ in keeping the public updated on the project’s progress, the Zululand Observer was subsequently denied access to regular meetings of the Tugela Transfer Group.
Responses to numerous requests for updates and information are still being awaited from DWS.
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