Clanwilliam Dam’s wall will lift W Coast

ON FEBRUARY 12, the Western Cape Provincial Standing Committee on Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning undertook an oversight visit to Clanwilliam Dam on the West Coast.

The raising of the Clanwilliam Dam wall is one of the largest government investments in the Western Cape and it assumes economic opportunities for the community of the West Coast.

During the oversight visit the stakeholders were told that the Clanwilliam Dam wall will be raised by 13m and the additional yield of water (133 million cubic metres) will be allocated to poor resource farmers.

The project entails re-alignment of the N7 and upgrading and expansion of the conveyance network downstream of Bulshoek Dam.

Given the scale of unemployment on the West Coast, the project is set to create much-needed job opportunities for the youth. To date, 80 local people have been employed.

The raising of Clanwilliam Dam is a catalyst for the growth of the economy of the West Coast region.

The standing committee raised a number of issues. One of them was a plea to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to complete the project without further delays, and that they must intensify communication as a way of informing various stakeholders about the opportunities of the project.

The issues of upgrading waste water treatment works were given a sharp focus. Various departments and municipalities re-affirmed their support for the project.

DWS is committed to completing the raising of Clanwilliam Dam wall on time.