WATER backlogs in the uThungulu District decreased from 81% to 39% between 2001 and 2015.
This is according to uThungulu District Mayor Thembeka Mchunu while presenting her draft budget speech for the period 2015/2016 – 2017/2018 at Council Chambers last week.
The mayor said a careful analysis of backlog figures showed that the district had ‘come a long way towards eradicating backlogs in water and sanitation’.
‘At Mthonjaneni and Ntambanana, we are only doing infills with sanitation. With March being Human Rights’ month, we have just completed Operation Sukhuma Sakhe interventions at Nkandla, where our goal was to improve the living conditions of people in every ward.
‘It is clear that going forward we need to align our budget to where the need is most dire.’
The total revenue anticipated for the municipality in the 2015/16 financial year is R1,09-billion, which is a net decline of R106m from the 2014/15 projections.
Tariff increases for the 2015/16 financial year are also on the cards owing to the high costs of water reticulation, the effect of the drought on the provision of services and escalating electricity costs.
‘This is however balanced with the need to be affordable and with due consideration of the financial constraints of our consumers.
‘The tariffs for services will increase by between 10% and 20% in the 2015/2016 year.’
She said the district had also made notable progress in the Fresh Produce Market, with approval already received from Provincial Treasury for it to operate as an entity.
‘A memorandum of agreement has been signed between the entity and the provincial Department of Education to supply the latter with produce for the National Schools Nutrition Programme.
‘The Board of Directors has been appointed and it has established its various sub-committees and is currently in a process of recruiting a CEO,’ Mchunu said.
@RonelleRamsamy
