Name of the Project
Clanwilliam dam and irrigation scheme upgrade project.
Location
On the Olifants river, in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Project Owner/s
The stakeholders in this project include the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the Lower Olifants River Water User Association; the Cederberg, Matzikama and West Coast municipalities; the Western Cape provincial government; the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral); and power utility Eskom.
Project Description
The project is the second-biggest infrastructure project being undertaken in the Western Cape and is part of the Olifants River Water Resources Project.
The Clanwilliam dam was built in 1935 and was raised to its current level, with a storage capacity of 128-million cubic metres, in the 1960s.
A feasibility study completed on the project in October 2007 found that raising the wall by 13 m is technically feasible and economically viable. The study also found that the dam needs to be strengthened.
The proposed project will improve the safety of the dam and increase the yearly yield of the dam by 69.5-million cubic metres, of which a portion will be used to assist with the development of resource-poor farmers.
The project will include:
- remedial works to the dam’s foundations;
- the raising and realigning of portions of Old Cape road, which will be affected by the raised dam;
- raising the Algeria road crossing over the Olifants river, as a result of raising the dam’s full supply level;
- protecting the N7 towards Citrusdal that will be directly affected by the raised dam;
- maintenance of farm roads and residences along Renbaan road directly affected by the raised dam;
- upgrading and expanding the conveyance network downstream of Bulshoek dam; and
- other affected infrastructure, including a hydropower plant.
Potential Job Creation
The project has the potential to create about 3 800 permanent jobs.
Capital Expenditure
The project is estimated at R3.5-billion.
Planned Start/End Date
The project is expected to take four years to complete.
Latest Developments
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has expressed his dissatisfaction with the delays at the Clanwilliam dam project.
During site visits to the project site on November 29, Mchunu said the raising of the dam wall should have been completed.
He also held discussions with local business leaders and farmers in the region, who called on the Minister to intervene and resolve the challenges that were hampering completion of the project.
Mchunu said the DWS would work hard to ensure the project was fast-tracked.
“As the DWS, we would like to assure stakeholders that we are committed to resolving challenges related to the project's implementation," he said, adding that the project team would consider ways of shortening the project timelines without compromising the integrity of the infrastructure.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Department of Water and Sanitation media liaison officer Sputnik Ratau, tel +27 12 336 6813 and RatauS@dwa.gov.za.