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Southern Cape water crisis looms

YOLANDI GROENEWALD | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Nov 27 2009 06:00

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Holidaymakers bound for the southern Cape this Christmas will find that shared showers will be standard practice over the festive season.

The southern Cape, including the holiday towns of George, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Sedgefield and Plettenberg Bay, is facing its worst drought in 50 years. No rain is predicted until at least January.

This week the Eden district council area, which includes George, Mossel Bay and Knysna, was declared a disaster area by the National Disaster Management Centre. The treasury has earmarked R53-million for the towns, which will be distributed and used to build capacity, including investigating desalination plants.

In the long term ratepayers' associations have called for a dam to be built in the vicinity to ensure there is enough water. Climate change is being blamed for the drought and residents fear that the lack of rain might be the start of a cycle of dry seasons, threatening the region's long-term water supply.

But despite the water crisis locals say visitors are welcome, as long as they keep their water usage under control.

Said Jan Scheepers, a restaurant owner in Plettenberg Bay: "Without the visitors we won't be able to survive. But water is in short supply and there are no guarantees that the council will be able to find more in December."

This year George recorded its lowest rainfall in 132 years. Scientists predict that without good rains the town will have enough potable water to last only until February.

Knysna has been severely water-stressed since January, when the Karatara River dried up. Sedgefield's drought headache started last year. Water restrictions are tight and across the southern Cape water police have been deployed to ensure that users comply with restrictions.

According to Knysna mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies, at least a 30% saving from local businesses and households is needed. This means that consumption in households has to fall by 15 kilolitres a month. In August Knysna was forced to truck in water.

CONTINUES BELOW

The towns are looking to find creative ways of "making" water and Sedgefield is taking the lead. The town's new R18-million desalination plant is scheduled to come on stream in mid-December. Located in the parking area of the beach, it cleans sea water by a process of osmosis.

Some property owners in the vicinity have written to Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica to stop the project, saying that the plant will undermine property values. The noise of the pump is of particular concern.

"What they choose not to consider is what would happen to property values if they don't have a reasonably assured supply of water," said Mike Young, chairperson of Sedgefield's water forum. "I'd love it if the desalination plant hadn't been built, but the fact is that Sedgefield really has no practical alternative."

With the desalination plant, Sedgefield will have enough water for Christmas, Young said. But the plant has the capacity to serve only Sedgefield, not neighbouring towns.

In September the Western Cape local government minister, Anton Bredell, said at least R100-million is needed to respond to the water crisis in the southern Cape.

There are also grumbles in Mossel Bay about PetroSA, which uses almost half of the town's potable water. PetroSA needs the water to keep its MossGas refinery going.

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Southern Cape water crisis looms

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