Water Crisis could worsen

Category: Eastern Cape

Date Added: 18 January 2010

The water crisis facing Nelson Mandela Bay could be worse than believed as the level in the largest dam in the algoa water system, the Kouga Dam, drops to below 45 percent.

The water crisis facing Nelson Mandela Bay could be worse than believed as the level in the largest dam in the algoa water system, the Kouga Dam, drops to below 45 percent.
 
According to Dewald Coetzee, the director of southern operations for the Department of Water Affairs, a portion of the water in the Kouga Dam, one of four supply dams, is for use by irrigation farmers.
 
In an interview with Algoa FM News this morning, Coetzee, said that if one takes this into account then the amount of water available for domestic and industrial use in Nelson Mandela Bay is around 35 percent.
 
He says in the current water year, which runs from July to June, there is a restriction of 30 percent for irrigation farmers and  15 percent on the Metro out of the algoa water system.
 
"The irrigation farmers have met their savings for the last six months, having adhered to the 30 percent restriction.  Unfortunately in the Metro we did not materialise (sic) substantial savings in fact it was a very minimal saving which puts us in a worse situation because the water we now use makes it that the next (water) year will be just harsher," said Coetzee.
 
He says the situation will get worse if substantial domestic savings are not realised.
 
"Looking at the current situation and the consumption in the Metro and the irrigation farmers allocation our water will last us for another year if we dont urgently start saving water," Coetzee said.

John Huddleston from Helicopter Charter and Training took Charlton Tobias and the Algoa FM camera men to see the dams first hand. More pics and video to follow soon

www.helicoptercharter.co.za
041-5077343