Water shortages will probably be a thing of the past in the near future for rural communities in Giyani and surrounding villages, as the Limpopo provincial government has stepped in with the laying of pipelines from the Nandoni Dam in Thohoyandou to the Nsami Dam in Giyani in the Mopani District.

The completion of this project will bring much-needed relief to the Giyani area and surrounding villages that have been adversely affected by drought, said Premier Cassel Mathale when he recently opened the Limpopo Legislature in Lebowakgomo. Mathale said the government would not rest until every household had water, sanitation and electricity.

“We have already started laying of pipelines from Nandoni Dam in Thohoyandou to Nsami in Giyani. We will provide an additional 36 000 households with water in the next financial year and also ensure that the additional 100 000 people have access to electricity before the end of 2011/12 financial year,” said Mathale.

He added that the provision of water and, sanitation and electricity could not be deferred. “During the past financial year, we have managed to provide water and electricity to more than 1 000 000 people, and more than 700 000 households received sanitation facilities,” added Mathale.