XONXA DAM HOPE
After delays, November might bring water supply
When will the Xonxa Dam pipeline finally become a reality? This was the question on the lips of residents of Komani and surrounding areas after extended water outages of several days left residential areas dry throughout the area.
The multimillion-rand pipeline was originally commissioned in 2012 after it became clear that the Bonkolo Dam and Waterdown Dam could no longer supply the area’s water needs.
Currently, the Bonkolo Dam level is below the measurable level of 10%, while the Waterdown Dam, currently the area’s only source of supply, is at 85.8%.
The Xonxa Dam is 115% full. The Rep reported (“Xonxa Dam project set for 2017 completion date”) that the completion of the project had first been expected in the first quarter of 2017, but this was then moved to later in 2017.
When this did not happen in 2017, The Rep followed up and reported (“Xonxa Dam water supply pipeline to be finished in September”) that there had been some challenges and that delays had resulted in the expected completion date of September 2018.
Testing of the pipeline had been done in June 2018.
Dismay arose from various sectors of the community over the past few weeks as the temperature rose and the water supply dwindled.
Residential areas have been left without water for days at a time and residents took to social media to indicate their ire with the situation.
The Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) indicated in a statement last week that the heat wave had resulted in water outages and that water was leaving the reservoirs as quickly as they were being filled.
In response to the water crisis, the Queenstown Civic and Ratepayers’ Association set up a meeting with the CHDM officials this week in an effort to follow up on the issues.
Tokkie Deysel said issues discussed included the drawing up of a schedule by the customer care and water units to indicate the times when water would be supplied to each area.
The second issue, Deysel said, was the launch of the Xonxa Dam pipeline.
The association’s executive committee was set to join a team from the CHDM on Tuesday morning at 8am for an inspection at the dam.
“Thereafter we will have a meeting with the implementing engineer and his team.”
Deysel said December had been set as the target date for water to be delivered via the Xonxa pipeline to Komani.
No date has yet been confirmed, however.
CHDM spokeswoman Thobeka Mqamelo confirmed that the tentative completion date was the end of November if all tests had been completed by then.
Confirmation was set to follow next week after the meeting with consultants, she said.