Over R734-million was needed to tackle the water backlog in the North West province, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said this week.

Speaking at the launch of the Pilanesberg Bulk Water Supply Scheme, in Moses Kotane local municipality, she said the Bojanala Platinum district municipality had the highest water backlog in the province, requiring R404.8-million, followed by the Ngaka Modiri Molema region with a backlog valued at R273.8-million.

The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district municipality would need R39.77-million to mitigate its water infrastructure backlog, while the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality needed R16.48-million.

Of the R6.2-billion medium-term expenditure framework allocation for water projects in 23 priority district municipalities, a total of R122-million had been allocated for the North West province.

However, with the assistance of four North West-based emerging mines, namely Boynton, Platmin, Maseve and Wesizwe, which contributed R190-million for the feasibility study, the design of all infrastructure components of the scheme and the development of a 30 km 750-mm-diameter steel pipeline between Padda and Tuschenkomst and the 35 Mℓ reservoir at Tuschenkomst, the Pilanesberg Bulk Water Supply Scheme was launched.

The project, which added 25 550 million cubic metres a year capacity, benefitted households, businesses and large industries, such as mines, which secured 36.2-million litres a day, the balance of the 70-million litres a day capacity allocated for municipal areas.

The water scheme, the construction of which started in 2012 and led to the creation of 13 452 job opportunities, enabled access to water for 57 villages in the municipalities of Moses Kotane, Rustenburg and Thabazimbi.

Molewa said the water scheme, which was financed through the Department of Water Affairs flagship regional bulk-water infrastructure grant programme, included a raw water supply system, the upgrade and extension of the Vaalkop Water Treatment Plant and the bulk treated-water supply system.

“In the long term, this project must make [a] huge impact [on] the population of 758 864 living in the 184 008 households in the Rustenburg, Moses Kotane and Thabazimbi municipalities,” she added.