The Eastern Cape Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) plans to introduce 80% water restrictions to avert a looming disaster of the absence of water in several towns in Gamtoos Valley.

Kouga Dam, which supplies the Kouga and Gamtoos valleys, has dropped to 6.8%, sparking fears that the town may soon have no water.

The whole Algoa region, including Nelson Mandela Bay, has been in the grips of a drought for over a year and the situation is now so dire that the parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation has raised questions about the department’s intervention to avert Day Zero.

The DWS’s regional head Portia Makhanya recently met 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 80% restrictions.

Makhanya appealed to the affected communities to adhere to water restrictions and to use water sparingly. “Without the co-operation of the affected communities, including the farmers, we will find it difficult to reduce the risk of water shortage in the Gamtoos Valley,” she said.

Drought interventions

As part of its short term intervention, the department has provided the Kouga Local Municipality with two 18 000 litre water tankers for emergency water carting to areas where there is insufficient water supply.

High level Bulk Water Master Plans have been compiled as well as an All Town Studies report to assist the municipality with their medium and long term solutions. Water restrictions are being enforced in accordance with the drought operating rules for each dam.

A sum of R1 090 000 was allocated to Kouga Municipality from the first round of drought funding allocations. This was used for ground water exploration in Hankey and Patensie. The municipality has also laid an 800m pipeline from a farmer’s borehole to provide water should Kouga run completely dry. Billboards providing information on the drought have also been put up in strategic areas of affected towns.