THE Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy says it is accelerating plans to improve the country’s water infrastructure, including raising the height of Hawane Dam.
This forms part of measures aimed at strengthening potable water supply should projected El Niño conditions result in reduced rainfall.
This was revealed by the ministry’s Director of Water Affairs, Makhosini Khoza, while responding to a question from Senator Lizzie Nkosi during the Construction Industry Council (CIC) Stakeholder Forum held at Happy Valley Hotel on Monday.
Nkosi had sought clarity on government’s preparedness for a projected El Niño-induced dry spell, asking what plans were in place to ensure that public institutions such as schools and hospitals did not run out of water, how communities would continue receiving water during the period and how such interventions would be financed.
Responding, Khoza said government was already implementing a number of initiatives to strengthen the country’s water sector. He said one of the key interventions was the review of the Water Act of 2003, which governs water infrastructure development and the sector as a whole.
“We are reviewing the Water Act, 2003, a legislation that governs the water infrastructure and sector at large, to ensure that projects are implemented within the confines of the legislation going forward,” he said.
Khoza further disclosed that government, with assistance from the World Bank, had engaged a consultant to develop a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Master Plan, which was already in place. He said feasibility studies and development work for six priority areas identified under the master plan were currently underway.
According to Khoza, four of the priority projects relate to water infrastructure within the Mbuluzi and Lusutfu river basins, while the remaining two focus on sanitation infrastructure. He said the sanitation projects were designed to ensure that communities benefitting from new potable water schemes also had adequate sanitation facilities.
Among the major projects in the pipeline, Khoza highlighted the raising of Hawane Dam, which supplies water to residents along the Mbabane-Ngwenya corridor.
He said government was also planning the development of Nondvo Dam at Siphocosini, as well as improvements to the Mantabeni water infrastructure. The latter projects, he explained, were intended to strengthen potable water supply within the Manzini-Mbabane corridor.
Khoza also announced that government was working towards establishing an Eswatini Water Investment Programme with support from the African Union. The programme is expected to assist in mobilising resources for future water infrastructure projects.
On the implementation of the projects, Khoza said local contractors would be prioritised once the developments reach tendering stage.
While outlining government’s efforts to improve water security, Khoza also expressed concern over illegal dagga cultivation, saying some growers were contributing to water resource degradation. He said dagga growers generally did not conserve water when irrigating their crops and also used chemicals which were washed into rivers, negatively affecting wildlife and the environment.
Despite the concerns surrounding projected El Niño conditions, Khoza said government would continue monitoring the situation and would provide the necessary information should the anticipated dry spell materialise.
Meanwhile, the Eswatini Meteorological Service Department said it was also monitoring El Niño conditions expected to affect the region from next month. Meteorologist Sifiso Nzalo clarified that El Niño should not automatically be interpreted as drought. Instead, he explained, the weather phenomenon reduces the chances of rainfall.
Nzalo said the country experienced El Niño conditions during the 2018/19 and 2023/24 seasons, yet the country did not experience drought because it still received adequate rainfall. He attributed this to the influence of the Indian Ocean Dipole, particularly moisture drawn through the Mozambique Channel, which brought rainfall into the kingdom despite El Niño conditions.
He said the department would continue monitoring weather patterns and would issue advisories at intervals to keep the nation informed of any developments.
