Tenders out to build dams in ADM

AMATHOLE district municipality has set aside R25-million to build three reservoirs in the Fort Beaufort area this financial year (2017-18) to help deal with ongoing water shortages in the area.

Water shortages in the entire ADM area have been a regular phenomenon since 2015, with local towns such as Butterworth, Dutywa, the university town of Alice, and Fort Beaufort and surrounding villages being hit due to drought.

This forced ADM to regulate water supply in an attempt to ensure there is enough water for cooking and drinking purposes.

The dry spell continued in the Fort Beaufort area and in May reached a crisis point, forcing ADM to caution residents to use water sparingly and expect daily water cuts.

The water rationing also affected areas around Butterworth, Adelaide and Bedford, as Gcuwa dam was no longer overflowing.

The regulation saw water supply turned off at 9pm daily and turned on again at 5am the following day.

ADM placed an advert in yest Daily Dispatch asking for bidders interested in building the reservoirs of between 2.2 megalitres to 3ML, “and fencing around three pump stations in the Fort Beaufort area”.

ADM spokeswoman Noni Vuso said the municipality “is planning to improve the supply of potable water to the community of Fort Beaufort with the construction of three new reservoirs, each at separate sites, to provide additional storage capacity”.

The Fort Beaufort area relies on water extracted from the Fish River scheme which pumps into Andrew Turpin Dam in Bedford.

Water levels in the dam have been so low recently that residents have been prohibited from using more than 500 litres a day per household.

Vuso said the construction of the reservoirs “is anticipated to start in January 2018” and be ready to be fully operational in February 2019.

She said the water supply would benefit areas such as the Fort Beaufort central business district as well as Newtown and Hillside suburbs. — zineg@dispatch.co.za