Some dams only days from being empty
IF HEAVY rain does not fall in the next few weeks, towns like Butterworth and Dutywa will run out of water.
This was the dire warning issued by the Amathole district municipality this week as supply dams continue to dry up. ADM said it would cost more than R100-million to implement the first phase of an alternative plan to source water over a one-year period. The level of dams given include: ● Butterworth dam at 1.5%; ● Dutywa dam 10%; ● Kei Mouth dam 15%; ● Adelaide dam 20%; and ● Bedford 25%. Some of the dams are expected to run dry in the space of days and last week ADM was declared a disaster area due to the persistent drought.
The Dwesa and Qwaninga rivers, which supply rural villages in the Mbhashe local municipal area, have also dried up affecting more than 40 villages. In August ADM launched a ground water drilling programme with limited success.
This week the municipality announced that a contractor was working on “suitable boreholes”.
ADM spokesman Siyabulela Makunga said this could help alleviate the problem a little.
He said the municipality had managed to reduce water supply through rationing measures.
“This is, however, affecting the supply of water to residents, especially those living in the higher lying areas of Butterworth as well as the rural villages.”
Makunga said about 120 5 000-litre tanks had been distributed to these areas and were being filled by 16 water tankers daily.
He said the magnitude of the current drought was unprecedented in some parts of ADM.
“The drought is very severe and there is no record of the Butterworth dam ever having reached this low level before. Certain areas of ADM have experienced extremely belowaverage rainfall since April 2014.
“As such there has been very little run-off into these supply dams and levels have continued to drop, despite interventions to conserve water and reduce wastage.”
Makunga said the ADM declared the area a disaster because the municipality could no longer sustain the cost of the drought mitigation measures from its operational budget.
“We require the assistance of national government. If the drought gets worse it could prove devastating for residents and business of these areas.” Makunga said without alternative sources, water would have to be trucked from East London or Mthatha.
“Apart from the cost, this will be a logistical nightmare and it will be very difficult to supply everyone with a basic supply of water.”
The drought would also have a negative effect on health and hygiene.
“The ADM, together with the Department of Water and Sanitation are doing all in their power to mitigate the effects of this drought, but owing to the severity, extended water outages will persist and will worsen if things do not improve,” Makunga concluded.