Upgrades on a bulk water scheme providing water security in villages located in the Joe Morolong Municipality, has been completed as part of Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen Mine’s social labour plan commitments.
Valued at R11 million, the project upgraded nine boreholes across four villages of Sesipi, Perth, Kome and Tsiloane, delivering an average of 480 kilolitre of water per day to residents.
The project scope of work made provision for refurbishments to the steel pump houses, ancillary borehole pipework, electrical equipment, and mechanical components which included diesel engines.
The nine boreholes will primarily run of solar power installations that have enough capacity to produce enough energy to run motors on a moderate speed in partly cloudy conditions while two of these are equipped with Eskom connections as a source of back power.
The construction work on the project commenced in November 2023, in accordance with the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) design criteria for rural community water supply, and the guidelines for human settlement planning and design.
Projected to cater for over 6 000 village residents, the scheme also presents an opportunity for the development of government subsidised housing to be introduced to the area.
Lester Pietersen, socio-economic development officer at Sishen Mine, says access to drinking water and sanitation is a basic human right.
“Through this project, Sishen Mine is living its purpose of reimagining mining to improve people’s lives and live up to its commitments.”
