Butterworth to wake up to empty taps tomorrow

Water tankers to help ease burden on low-level dams

MORE than 250 000 Butterworth residents will not have water tomorrow as the drought gripping the Amathole region worsens.

The dams supplying water to the Butterworth communities are at an all-time low with Xilinxa Dam at 0.6% , Toleni Dam at 21% and Gcuwa Dam at 44%.

Three weeks ago, Amathole District Municipality (ADM) sent out a media statement saying if it did not rain, Butterworth would be without water tomorrow. It has not rained.

The latest dam levels were released on Friday by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). Butterworth and surrounding areas are faced with unprecedented water shortages that could have adverse effects on people and businesses in the affected areas

ADM, which incorporates Butterworth, was declared a disaster area in January.

DWS spokesman Sputnik Ratau said: “The water challenges are caused by the lack of rains in recent months, leading to the shrinking of water levels in the province, with Butterworth [the worst] affected.”

Ratau said two water tankers dispatched to the area last week by the DWS would help ease the burden on the dams. Ratau said together with ADM, the DWS was testing potential boreholes around Ibika township to complement water supply.

The construction industry has been the hardest-hit sector by the drought.

Mnquma Management Infrastructure Forum chairman Luzuko Kawe said he was forced to truck in water to his various construction sites for his workers to complete their jobs. “Sometimes we stop work due to the stringent water restrictions,” he said yesterday.

In Butterworth, the ADM shuts down water supply on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“But they are not sticking to the timetable because you will discover that water is not back by Saturday, forcing us to stop working. Every day without work hits hard in the pocket,” he said.

Kawe claimed that had no water.

“I have sites in Centane, including a bed and breakfast under construction, where I have to carry water from Butterworth to give to my dogs guarding the site in Centane.

“Since the beginning of the year, I have not seen a drop of water in Centane,” he said.

Provincial figures show that the Eastern Cape’s dam levels dropped from 56.2% two weeks ago to 56.1% last week. Ratau said of concern is the water situation in Amathole and Centane already the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, where dams are almost empty.

“Literally, dam levels in the province have dropped by 10% from 66.5% in the same period last year to 56.1%. However, it is hoped that the forthcoming rainy season will deliver the much-needed water and dam levels are expected to return to normal.”

On Friday, ADM announced stringent water restrictions in the Raymond Mhlaba municipality. Municipal spokesman Siyabulela Makunga said: “This is a natural disaster and it is beyond our control. All we can do is pray for Butterworth to get rain. If the people of the town wake up without water tomorrow then we will continue with our intervention plans like trucking in water. We have been holding prayer sessions in the area for rain since the beginning of the year.”

He said the planned interruptions were necessitated by very low water levels in the Dorps Dam supplying Adelaide and the Andrew Turpin Dam supplying Bedford.

Levels for other major dams in the ADM are: Rooikrantz (King William’s Town) – 80.7%, Laing Dam (near East London) – 101%, Bridle Drift – 40.0%, Nahoon – 53.8%, Gubu (Stutterheim) – 91.0% and Wriggleswade (also near Stutterheim) – 75.9%.

The Eastern Cape’s water situation paints a contrasting picture compared to the rest of the country. While some of the province’s dams have only days of water left, most of the dams in other provinces are at more than 70% capacity. —