Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
With regard to water losses in the province:
How does load-shedding contribute to water losses in the province and (b) how much will the Department spend in the next five years to combat the effects of load-shedding on critical water infrastructure?
14 (a) Regular interruption of water supply, such as load shedding, is known to have an impact on water infrastructure, and as a result may lead to water leakages along the supply system which can contribute to increased water losses. Water infrastructure was not designed for the stops and starts that are introduced by load shedding. This may lead to immediate damage to infrastructure or premature deterioration resulting in water leakages.
A few examples of how load shedding may result in water losses include the following:
- During load shedding damage to the pump or the entire pump station could occur due to an electrical surge or hydraulic surge. This damage may result in water leakages;
- When load shedding takes place during the night, there is a risk of vandalization of reservoirs in remote areas, sometimes leading to water leaks;
- Electricity is also needed within the reservoirs to power the instrumentation that measure and maintain water levels, ensuring that they do not overflow and, therefore, causing inefficient operation of the instrumentation and water overflowing, which may result in huge water losses.
- In order to mitigate the negative effects of load shedding on water infrastructure, the Department of Local Government has planned and implemented several programmes including the Emergency Municipal Load Shedding Relief Grant (EMLR), Energy Master Planning (EMP), Pilot Renewable Studies, as well as additional and specialist capacity to support the roll-out of the programme.
The following projects are under planning or being implemented in the 2023 MTEF:
Project | Description | 2022/23 R’000 | 2023/24 R’000 | 2024/25 R’000 | 2025/26 R’000 |
Emergency Municipal Load Shedding Relief Grant | Financial Assistance to municipalities to mitigate the impact of load shedding on municipal services, through the procurement of back-up power supply | 88 815 |
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|
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Energy Master Planning | Updating / Development of Electrical Master plans for identified municipalities |
| 3 480 | 3 520 | 3 680 |
Pilot Renewable Studies | Pilot programme of sustainable energy solutions as identified in the feasibility study or other studies to be implemented in implementation ready municipalities |
| 5 000 | 10 000 | 15 000 |
Additional and Specialist Capacity | Additional technical capacity to: Implement initiatives, provide guidance, investigate and conduct feasibility studies, and aid master planning |
| 7 750 | 8 750 | 5 750 |
* Note that the budget allocations in future years are subject to change.
* Budgets for the years beyond 2025/26 will be confirmed in future MTEF allocations.
