The newly launched eThekwini water and sanitation project – aimed at providing more than one-million people living in informal settlements with access to running water and toilet facilities – is expected to generate 3 000 job opportunities over a three-year period.

About 1,4-million people living in informal settlements will be given access to running water and toilet facilities once the project is completed in January 2012

The project, which is to be completed by 2012, seeks to provide water and sewer links to ablution blocks in 317 informal settlements throughout the municipal area.

Each informal settlement will be able to employ about 150 local people during each two-month period.

The R175-million budget will be disbursed over the three-year period, with R40-million allocated for 2009, about R100-million for 2010 and R35-million for 2011.

“The national sanitation target is that all should have access to running water and toilets by 2010, and it is part of eThekwini’s delivery strategy,” says project executive Alan Kee.

Sewer and water links will be installed for informal settlements, which have been selected for future development by the Human Settlements Department.

One prefabricated ablution block with water and sewer links will be installed for every settlement comprising more than 50 dwellings.

“The prefabricated ablution facilities are being provided on a temporary basis and will be removed once the formal housing development scheme starts in each settlement,” continues Kee, adding that the water and sewer pipelines that have already been provided will remain, as a link to the future infrastructure

He adds that the project repre- sents a good use of ratepayers’ money, as current informal settle- ments benefit from waterborne sanitation and, at the same time, infrastructure is being put in place for future development.

“The most important benefit to the communities will be the reduction of health risks once waterborne sanitation is available. Small businesses in the area will grow, as project requirements are locally sourced; and other positive project spin-offs include job creation and in-service training for technical students,” notes Kee.

Project manager Aurecon (formally Ninham Shand) says that all temporary ablution faci- lities will be built within the next three years and, to achieve this target, the municipality has been divided into four areas with a design consultant and a contractor allocated to each area.

“Each contractor will mentor one subcontractor as part of the project’s social responsibility programme. Local labour will be sourced from the areas where the project is sited,” affirms Aurecon project manager Evan Smith.