WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, recently declared the province a disaster area as a result of the magnitude and severity of the drought.
The declaration was made in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002.
In addition, she called on every municipality to do everything possible to preserve water resources and to find additional water sources to augment the current limited supply.
The declaration was necessitated to prevent an escalation of the disaster. Despite the recent rains, the premier said in a letter to municipalities, Western Cape dams are still on average only 26% full, about 20% lower than the same time last year.
"Bearing in mind the responsibility of the Western Cape Government in terms of the Disaster Management Act, 2002, to, among other things prevent an escalation of the disaster, alleviate, contain and minimise the effect of the disaster, mitigate the severity of the disaster, and rapidly and effectively respond to the disaster, I intend issuing, under section 41(2) of that Act, directions dealing with restrictions on the use of potable water for domestic and industrial purposes," Zille stated in the Government Gazette 7801.
The directions apply to all municipalities in the Western Cape.
Anton Bredell, the minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape, says the latest step is part of the ongoing management of water resources.
Bredell says all municipalities have been directed to assess water needs and supply and must recommend the level of water restrictions it is or intends applying.
“Based on the feedback received, the provincial Department of Local Government will consider each assessment and if it supports the proposed level of water restrictions or not. If the department does not agree, then it will direct that municipality to implement the level at which water restrictions must be implemented.
"This is no longer negotiable.”
The department has a database of existing restrictions and the water situation across the province. This latest step aims at ensuring every council is doing its part to address the provincial challenge.
Bredell says the information each municipality must provide includes the target consumption of potable water in megalitres per day as well as the calculated remaining weeks of bulk water supply expressed in weeks.
The levels of restrictions are numbers 1 to 5 as follows:
1-Moderate (10% savings)
2-High (10-20% savings)
3-Very High (20-30% savings)
4-Severe (30-40% savings)
5-Emergency (40-50% savings)
The latest average water level for dams across the Western Cape is 29.5%. In 2016, at the corresponding period, the average level was 56.7%.
“The drought continues to be unrelenting despite some good rainfall in some regions across the province. We have been combating this crisis in varying degrees across the province for more than two years," Bredell added.
The provincial government continues to engage all relevant stakeholders including the National Department of Water and Sanitation, where the constitutional responsibility for water resides.
Levels of major dams in the province remain very low. The Theewaterskloof Dam is currently at 23.8% (2016: 48%); Voëlvlei Dam 22.8% (2016: 56%) and Clanwilliam Dam 29.8% (2016: 99%).
Mossel Bay receives the bulk of its water supply from the Wolwedans Dam. This week, on 14 Augsut the water level in the Wolwedans dam was at 73.60%.
ARTICLE: NICKEY LE ROUX
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
