Still need to use water judiciously
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is expected to deliver some good news on Monday as it weighs up adjustment of the punitive water tariffs following the recent good rains. Our sister paper Weekend Post reported that assessments were under way to determine an “appropriate” water tariff and that an announcement about this would be made by mayor Mongameli Bobani’s office. Currently the metro is on Tariff C – a punitive tariff that was introduced as a result of the ongoing drought.
But, while residents are hopeful water costs will now finally drop, it would be ill advised to get too excited about the recent rains just yet.
The SA Weather Service warns that our seasonal forecast from now up to December is for below-normal rainfall. In fact, it says, we may have to wait until about March, very possibly even later, to receive good rains again.
And, when it does eventually rain, it is not to say it will even fall in our catchment areas.
Even if the tariffs are relaxed somewhat, we must continue to use water judiciously because we simply don’t know when the next big rain is going to come.
Also, while dam levels have risen significantly, it is a big worry that illegal dams are being used to steal precious water in the crucial Kouga catchment region.
The Weekend Post reported on Saturday that the department of water and sanitation has identified at least 100 illegal dams which are being used to siphon water from the Kouga River, for instance through the use of pumps.
The presence of these dams could explain why catchment area water levels have remained low over the past year or more, despite good rainfall.
The department must move swiftly to shut these dams down and the perpetrators have to be penalised accordingly. Besides illegal, it is selfish and irresponsible to supplement your own water on the sly, at the expense of other struggling farmers and entire communities.
If this practice is allowed to continue unchecked it will ultimately threaten the entire region’s water security.