The Department of Water and Sanitation in the Eastern Cape says the small community of Misgund in the Koukamma Municipality has received much-needed relief through a R15 million bulk water supply project, unveiled to mark World Water Day. The details were shared on Sunday, 22 March 2026.
The initiative is aimed at addressing persistent water shortages in the area.
According to the department’s Provincial Head, Portia Makhanya, population growth has significantly contributed to the strain on water resources.
“In this case we have two sources of water, ground water as well as surface water. It is a shared water resource with the farming community in the area. And then we had to treat that water because also the quality of the groundwater was not always suitable for human consumption, and was needed through a treatment process. So mixing that with surface water plus treating the quality to acceptable standards has been the real reason why we have this project to meet the current demand,” she explained.
Meanwhile, several municipalities in the Eastern Cape, including Makana and Ndlambe, continue to experience water crises marked by intermittent supply.
Makhanya said efforts are underway to improve aging infrastructure through Municipal Infrastructure Grants.
“We are now busy refurbishing the very old infrastructure, such as electrical panels, and the whole treatment plant of Makana. However, there’s a larger problem on the reticulation which is in the space of the municipality. We know that there is a project under Municipal Infrastructure Grant that is refurbishing the reticulation component, but the demand is bigger than what the resources are currently” she stated.
