The City of Cape Town has signed a grant funding agreement with German Development Bank KfW, on behalf of the German Federal Government, for €4,5-million  (R77 million at current Euro exchange rates) to fund expert services to support the implementation of the City’s Water Strategy. Read more below:

The City of Cape Town’s Water Strategy sets the course toward a future in which Cape Town has sufficient, reliable water from diverse sources so that we can be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. It also outlines other City commitments to wise water use, safe access to water and sanitation services, regional water system collaboration and becoming a water sensitive city.

The City has signed a grant funding agreement with German Development Bank KfW, on behalf of the German Federal Government, for €4,5-million (R77 million at current Euro exchange rates) to fund expert professional and technical services to support the implementation of the Water Strategy. This will help the Water and Sanitation Directorate with comprehensive planning for implementation of key transversal programmes that have been identified, such as:

• Sustainable Wastewater Management, improving wastewater management, for better quality discharge into the environment.
• Integrated Resource Management. The new water supply augmentation programme and investigation of how to improve groundwater and stormwater and groundwater management, as we become a water sensitive city.
• Asset management improvement, for more proactive maintenance to reduce the number of service disruptions.
• Institutional restructuring and improving customer orientation.
• Water Demand Management improvements.
• Integration of multiple aspects of service delivery improvements and operational efficiencies.
• ‘In order to achieve this vision and deliver on the water strategy commitments, the City must assertively address a multitude of challenges, and leverage off current strengths. The funded programmes will be designed to provide a set of practical, implementable and costed initiatives to embed the water strategy into our planning and operations. This will assist us with our aim to achieve the status of becoming one of the Leading Utility of the World,’ said Councillor Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.
• On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW Development Bank has been supporting the City of Cape Town since the end of 2018 in the rehabilitation and expansion of various municipal wastewater facilities within the ‘Climate Initiative Municipal Wastewater Management in South Africa’ project with a loan of EUR 80 million.
• This grant of EUR 4,5 million is now being provided in addition, as part of KfW’s project ‘Climate Initiative Municipal Wastewater Management in South Africa’.
• Caption 1: Pictured from left, Silke Stadtmann (KfW); Tanja Werheit (German Consul General), Councillor Zahid Badroodien (Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation) and Michael Webster (City’s Executive Director for Water and Sanitation)
• Caption  2: Pictured from left, Jessica De Bruin (KfW), Silke Stadtmann (KfW), Tanja Werheit (German Consul General), Councillor Zahid Badroodien (Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation), Siyabulela Bashe (City’s Director for Commercial Services) and Michael Webster (City’s Executive Director for Water and Sanitation)

Source: City Of Cape Town