Grahamstown's water woes could be a thing of the past, as the municipality prepares to sign a contract with the Amatola Water board to run the show.
Grahamstown's water woes could be a thing of the past, as the municipality prepares to sign a contract with the Amatola Water board to run the show.
And despite union rumblings, an independent report suggests that outsourcing is the best way to deal with Makana's water cuts, pump failures, and general lack of capacity.
Council met on Monday last week to consider signing a two-year contract with the state-owned Amatola Water Board to manage the bulk water services. This followed the assessment by a water services authority and water services provider that Makana lacks the human resources and financial capacity to adequately see to the water needs of its 75000 (StatsSA 2001) population.
According to the proposed contract, while the municipality would still have to maintain the reticulation infrastructure, and would oversee the operations, it would be Amatola Water's job to ensure that adequate, purified and quality water was provided from the water treatment works to the reservoir and they would be responsible for the overall running of the plants.
But the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has expressed concern over the proposed outsourcing of this crucial service, insisting that skills transfer to existing staff of the municipality must underpin the agreement.
The union has, according to the report, since given an "in-principle nod" to the proposed agreement, on the basis that it would benefit service delivery. They also added the condition that the municipality should review the contract mid-term, to determine whether the desired goals were being achieved.
The Amatola Water Board is no stranger to Grahamstown's water problems. In March last year, the municipality appointed them to do water quality tests and in December they were put on standby to deal with water outages. This was done on the basis of a R1.6 million contract, ending in March this year.
Councillor Julia Wells proposed that the new draft contract be sent for legal review. it was her suggestion, too, that the contract be for two years, and not five, as initially proposed.
About the Amatola Water Board
It was eestablished in November 1997, belongs to the South African Association of Water Utilities and is authorised by the South African government to test water for the Eastern Cape province. It works closely with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry to ensure the quality of water is of a high standard. As well as testing water, Amatola makes recommendations concerning pollution control and environmental management. Amatola also focuses on infrastructure development such as upgrading pumping stations.
