Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has officially unveiled the upgraded Paarl waste water treatment plant in the Drakenstein Local Municipality.
The upgraded plant will improve the quality of water.
The Paarl waste water treatment works (WWTW) project, which was unveiled on Tuesday, 15 November, is one of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant projects and the only WWTW serving the Paarl residential and industrial area.
The project contributes to the improvement of the quality of water in the Berg River and in so doing, alleviating the negative impact of poor quality irrigation water.
The WWTW had effluent that did not comply with the required standards and had to be upgraded to ensure that it complies with the general standard.
The Department of Water and Sanitation and the municipality have invested over R225m for the development of the infrastructure. This will benefit over 250,000 residents and the fruit industry in the area, which is dependent on water from the Berg River for irrigation purposes.
The project has also benefitted the local community by enabling people to gain experience and training in construction.