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The water requirements of the KwaZulu-Natal metropolitan coastal areas in the vicinity of Durban are growing rapidly. This is as a result of the current economic growth, improved water supply services, urbanisation of the population and associated expansion of residential and other developments being implemented. This trend is expected to continue over the next years and in order to reconcile the future water requirements with the available water resources the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry initiated the Water Reconciliation Strategy Study for the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Metropolitan areas.
The purpose of this information is to inform stakeholders about the study and to empower you to participate in the process.
 Background
The water requirements of the KwaZulu-Natal metropolitan coastal areas in the vicinity of Durban, as shown in figure 1, are growing rapidly. This is as a result of the current economic growth, improved water supply services, urbanisation of the population and associated expansion of residential and other developments being implemented. This trend is expected to continue over the medium term as reflected in planned new urban developments. The area along the coast between the Tongati and the Thukela Rivers within the iLembe District Municipality (DM) is experiencing developments of large residential estates and industries which require additional water resources for the North Coast supply area.
In addition, the development of the Dube Trade Port, which includes the King Shaka Airport and the commercial and residential development that the trade port will attract in the vicinity of La Mercy, will also result in increasing water requirements from the water resources.
The bulk water supply system of the KwaZulu-Natal coastal metropolitan area consists of an extensive network of water conveyance and treatment infrastructure (pipelines and aqueducts) transferring water from the main storage reservoirs, Midmar, Albert Falls, Nagle and Inanda Dams in the Mgeni River System and Hazelmeer Dam on the Mdloti River to the water users. Furthermore, the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme augments the supply of the upper Mgeni River (Midmar Dam) and in the far north of the study area Stanger, in the iLembe DM, currently receives water from the Mvoti River.
In order to reconcile the future water requirements with the available water resources the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) initiated this reconciliation strategy study as the next step in finding appropriate water supply solutions for the region, as motivated in the following section.
Rationale of the study
As the trustee of the country’s water resources, DWAF recognises the need for a dynamic and interactive planning approach to meet future water requirements. Over the past few years, DWAF, water services authorities (WSA) and water services providers (WSP) have undertaken a number of studies on water conservation and demand management interventions, possible additional sources of supply and bulk distribution infrastructure in the KZN metropolitan coastal area. Information from these investigations indicate that there is an imminent potential shortfall in water supply to the area as available supplies from the existing North Coast and Mgeni Water Supply Systems will soon be inadequate to support the growing water requirements.
DWAF has therefore commissioned this study to develop a strategy that will identify, prioritise and confirm the interventions that will be required to reconcile the water requirements with the available water resources for the next twenty five years. DWAF further recognises that the strategy must be built on existing planning initiatives of the WSAs and WSPs, which will be achieved by involving officials from organisations such as eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, iLembe, uMgungundlovu and Ugu DMs, Msunduzi LM and Umgeni Water in the detail technical aspects of the study. The stakeholder engagement process of the study also aims to involve the broader public, through public meetings and newsletters after key milestones have been reached.
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