Bucket eradication programme gets underway in the Free State

21st July 2021 By: Natasha Odendaal - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

The bucket eradication programme is set to be completed by March 2022 in the Free State.

This followed the appointment of the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to source capacity for the Free State Bucket Eradication Programme by Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

The HDA, as implementing agent for the Department of Water and Sanitation, will provide programme management services to seven projects in the Free State to eradicate the bucket toilet system.

The Free State currently has a backlog of 10 202 bucket toilets that need to be removed.

The projects will concentrate on the towns of Clocolan, Ficksburg, Senekal, Reitz, Petrus Steyn, Arlington and Dealsville. The affected municipalities include Setsoto, Nketoana, Tokologo respectively.

The scope of work will include construction, refurbishment and upgrading of wastewater infrastructure in these towns in an effort to eradicate bucket toilets.

The HDA, which is responsible for the procurement of service providers, will use local labour and procure from local small, medium-sized and microenterprises where possible.