01 Sep 2025

Tati West MP Mr Justin Hunyepa says the Ntimbale Dam’s value extends beyond its primary role of providing water.

He was speaking during a recent tour of the dam, which is reported to be in a strong position to meet the water needs of surrounding communities, with its water levels currently at 85.2 per cent and projected to sustain water supply for the next 15 months, even without additional rainfall.

Mr Hunyepa, therefore urged officials to explore the dam’s economic benefits, which included tourism, educational opportunities and recreational activities, which he said would transform the dam from a simple utility into a vital engine for economic and social development.

“This would not only unlock new potential but also help address ongoing challenges like vandalism and illegal activities that currently threaten the dam’s security and water quality,” he said.

Mr Hunyepa, also Assistant Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, added that there were numerous activities that could be explored, including sightseeing, walking along the dam wall, boat rides, visitors’ centre or exhibits about the dam’s history and engineering as well as scenic viewpoints and aerial cableways.

He further highlighted the need for regular monitoring and patrols due to the dam’s status as a major infrastructure. He also noted that the sludge accumulated during the filtration process could create business opportunities, if research was conducted on its possible uses.

Again, Mr Hunyepa said Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) could implement a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme to assist marginalised people living downstream. “If you visit them, you would find that they are in dire need. As part of your CSR, you could consider connecting them to a free water supply from the 2 million cubic litres released to boost the riverine ecosystem,” he said.

For his part, WUC maintenance engineer in Masunga, Mr Mosikari Kgosi, said the dam, constructed in 2006, had a capacity of 26.5 million cubic metres and supplied water to 36 villages in the North-East District and 16 villages in the Tutume District, at an average rate of 13 million litres per day.

However, Mr Kgosi highlighted several challenges, including the vandalism of the dam’s fence and theft of equipment, including generator batteries, among others. He said challenges also included trespassing and unauthorised entry into the dam area, which led to the pollution and contamination of the water from discarded waste as well as illegal fishing.

“Besides the risk of drowning, unattended fishing nets can entangle boat engines, posing a risk during routine dam patrols and monitoring,” he said, thus highlighted the need to maintain the roads and culverts leading to the dam because access was often cut off during heavy rainfall when water overflowed the culverts.

On one hand, Ntimbale Water Works senior technician (production), Ms Tebogo Matlou, confirmed that the treatment plant’s processes were functioning well, including the filtration channels to the segmentation tanks. Ms Matlou said one of their biggest challenges had been sludge management and disposal, which previously affected water production and supply to the Tutume District.

“To address this, a sludge plant project was completed in May this year. The project was designed to address sludge management and improve production and supply to both districts,” she said.

Ms Motlou added that the plant was currently operational and its benefits were being realised. However, she said the project was still within its Defects Liability Period and closely monitored by the corporation to ensure that it continued to work well. ENDS