Lightning causes fires, dry spell

LIGHTNING last week left residents in the Eden District without water for days, and battling a spate of wildfires.

By yesterday, water supply had mainly been restored to the affected areas in the eastern sections of the Klein Karoo Rural Water Scheme (KKRWSS) and Dysseldorp.

In De Rust, maintenance teams were waiting for a machine to conduct repairs after water shortages were caused by a blocked main feeder line to town and several pipe breakages. Water tanks were brought in to supply residents.

Oudtshoorn Municipality spokesperson Aurelia Oliphant said the areas had water shortages as a result of power outages for three days in a row caused by lightning. Water delivered to Dysselsdorp Water Treatment Works (WTW) was all from underground sources, dependent on electricity.

Borehole pumps did not function and could not pump water to be treated to make it safe for human consumption.

“The reservoirs that supply the KKRWSS and Dysseldorp regions ran dry,” she said.

Power was restored on Friday. Oliphant said it was a matter of time before water supply services were back to normal.

Meanwhile, firefighters and ordinary farmers and farmworkers had gained the upper hand after 14 fires broke out in the Eden District, most caused by lightning.

The Joint Operations Centre (JOC) at the Eden District Municipality would meet today to assess the way forward in fighting fires, the municipality said.

The JOC includes the Eden District Municipality, SANParks, Working On Fire (WOF), Cape Nature, Mountain to Ocean and PG Bison.

Yesterday a reconnaissance flight assessed the areas affected by wildfires. There are three active fires and nine hotspots where mopping-up operations are in progress.

Working on Fire deployed close to 200 firefighters.