Measures in place to avoid water doomsday
Team Western Cape working flat out to avoid ‘Day Zero’, says premier
ALTHOUGH the drought in the Western Cape is serious, there is no need to panic, because the provincial government is doing everything it can to avoid “Day Zero” and not run out of water, says Premier Helen Zille.
Speaking yesterday, she said the provincial government had been granted increased powers under the Disaster Management Act to co-ordinate urgent water-supply projects in municipalities, and instructions had been issued to municipalities on managing their water demand.
This week, average provincial dam levels stood at 32.4%, compared with more than 100% in 2014, she said.
Zille said geohydrologists had been appointed in all districts to manage groundwater operations and provincial engineers were partnering with municipalities to track their water usage.
“Our disaster management services are working flat out on priority projects worth R295 million.
“This is a whole-of-society effort by Team Western Cape, including residents, who are doing their bit to save water in their own homes and businesses.
“We can avoid Day Zero, but only if we work together.”
Joyene Isaacs, head of the province’s Agriculture Department, said assistance to farmers would total about R68m by the end of August.
“We’ve spent R11m each month on animal feed to support around 1 300 farmers, most of them smallholders. The additional national funding received this week will be put to good use.”
Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde said job losses as a result of the drought were his biggest concern. “Analysis conducted by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture shows that if 30% less irrigation water is available from the Theewaterskloof and Berg River water systems for an extended time during a production period, there could be job losses of about 1 700 in the fruit and wine industries.”
Winde said that in a worst-case scenario there would be a total ban on irrigation water during the summer months, which would threaten about 20 000 jobs.
“We have managed to avert these scenarios. Through Project Khulisa, we are driving focused action plans to grow agriculture and agri-processing. We have also managed to prevent job losses through partnerships with farmers who have implemented conservation agriculture.
“Despite the drought, agriculture jobs have increased over the past three years.”