OPINION Public-private the way to go

THE residents of drought-stricken Beaufort West have received minor relief, with the addition of two million litres of water available daily.

Humanitarian Aid organisation Gift of the Givers yesterday unveiled the Beaufort West Witperd Aquifer Development Project which will pump water from new aquifers into the Gamka Dam pipeline and onwards into the town’s water reservoir.

Key in the completion of the project has been assistance from the University of the Free State which conducted free testing of all water samples and Hose Manufacturers Africa which contributed two complete borehole systems at no cost.

Beaufort-West has been severely affected by the drought, with no dam water left.

The town now relies solely on 32 boreholes and a Water Reclamation Plant to meet its water needs.

But this project does not mean the town is out of the woods yet.

In all areas of the Western

Cape, the coming summer months will prove crucial to water saving efforts as we inch slowly toward hopeful winter rains.

Average dam levels across the province stand at 32%.

Last year at the same time, this figure was 52%.

Areas in the province most affected by the drought include Beaufort-West and Kannaland, the City of Cape Town, Bitou and Knysna as well as the Matzikama region on the West Coast.

The agriculture sector has been acutely affected across the province.

Alleviation measures continue, including the development of a new pipeline in Knysna that will provide relief to the town.

Provincial Treasury’s

R95 million budget allocation to the department of Local Government will be used for drought relief and water augmentation initiatives.

Beaufort West Acting Municipal Manager, Kosie Haarhoff said the municipality is looking at a longer term solution by connecting the town to the Gariep Dam via a pipeline which could provide water to residents for the next two decades.

The completion of this project shows that public and private partnerships can yield results, fast.

As we adjust to the permanent state of living in a water-scarce region, we encourage public and private partnerships to battle this water crisis together.