Kouga dam drop sparks water restrictions
The Eastern Cape is facing water restrictions of 80% to avoid a looming water crisis across several towns in Gamtoos Valley as the Kouga dam’s water levels drop to 6.8%.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) plans to introduce the restrictions after meeting with farmers from the drought-stricken towns of Kouga, Hankey, Patensie, Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay and Humansdorp.
“The farmers initially wanted the department to reduce water restrictions to 60% for irrigation purposes, but later accepted [the] 80% that was proposed by the department,” says DWS regional head Portia Makhanya.
The DWS has embarked on short-term interventions, including the provision of two 18 000 litre water tankers for emergency water in the Kouga local municipality.
Some R1-million had been allocated to Kouga municipality from the first round drought-funding allocations, which was used for ground water exploration in Hankey and Patensie.
The municipality also laid an 800 m pipeline from a farmer’s borehole to provide them with water should Kouga run completely dry.
An Algoa water supply system restrictions monitoring committee monitors the drought, while a functional Algoa water supply system reconciliation study committee meets quarterly to assess the situation and make recommendations.
The water resources planning systems directorate monitors the situation, in addition to the groundwater exploration, on a monthly basis and provides expert advice.
High-level bulk water master plans have been compiled, as well as the all-town studies report, to assist the municipality with medium and long-term solutions.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation