Rand Water eyes legislative changes to enhance municipal water management

RAND Water is anticipating a change in legislation that could enable it to override poor municipal management of water and sanitation budgets, the provision of water services, and facilitate a choice of supplier for consumers while also ring-fencing water and sanitation payments.

- BANELE GININDZA

This comes as the bulk water provider is set to rollout more than R40 billion upgrading the bulk water infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment works in municipalities over the next five years.

Speaking at the latest PSG Think Big Series webinar on Tuesday, Rand Water CEO, Sipho Mosia, said this initiative was a direct response to the escalating challenges faced in municipal water management.

Mosia said the entity was confident of the immediate future with reviews in legislation that would enable it to play a more proactive role in water distribution.

"The prognosis looks good in terms of our ability to get more water into the system. This time last year we added about 150 million litres of water into the system. And we are going to be adding an additional 450 million of water into the system, which will in a period of about two years add 600 million litres. So the prognosis looks good, at least at the bulk level," Mosia said.