Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

2. The Department assisted Oudtshoorn Municipality during the drought being experienced in the area.

If not, why not?

Not applicable

If so, what are the relevant details?

The Department pro-actively allocated funding for water projects as follows:

• In 2015/16, an amount R970 000 was allocated and transferred to Dysselsdorp for drought relief towards the development of boreholes.
• In 2016/17 an amount of R1 900 000 was allocated and transferred to Dysselsdorp and De Rust to develop boreholes.
• The Department is currently overseeing a MIG project to an amount of R5.8m to couple the town of De Rust to the Klein Karoo Rural Water Scheme.
• Due to the above, water will be freed up which can be made available to Oudtshoorn.

The Department further procured the services of Geo-hydrologists to assist municipalities with geo-hydrological investigations, including rapid assessments, desktop studies and site assessment of existing and possible new borehoiles on request by municipalities.

My Department also deployed one of it’s own Engineers to the Oudtshoorn Municipality during the trying period (2015 to 2017) when the Municipality suffered political turmoil and was basically dysfunctional.   

In addition, the Department appointed Drought Engineers to assist municipalities with water supply and demand data, water conservation/water demand plans and render assistance where required. The information on water supply and demand serves as an early warning signal for intervention to prevent a Day Zero-scenario.

My Department held several meetings with officials from the Oudtshoorn Municipality and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to discuss progress and challenges experienced on the Blossoms project. One of these meetings lead to the reinstatement of the Blossoms project.

The Blossoms project, however, has temporarily been stalled due the unavailability of Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) funding due to the financial challenges experienced by DWS.

When the Raubenheimer Dam, supplying water to Oudtshoorn, dropped to 31% with a potential of 6 months of water left, my Department’s engineers investigated possible emergency solutions to avoid a Day Zero-scenario.  They assisted with a funding application of R30 000 000 from National Treasury to pipe water from the Blossoms Deep Groundwater Wellfield to the town via an emergency pipeline. The Department is awaiting the National Treasury’s decision.

Due to some rain and snow during the first half of September 2018, the Raubenheimer Dam increased from 31% to 37% full. The town of Oudtshoorn should have sufficient water and should be available for the next 8 to 9 months if the recently announced water restriction level of 4 is strictly enforced. If it rains in the coming summer as in the past, there will be enough water to carry Oudtshoorn through to the next winter’s rainy season. If the SA Weather Service’s outlook is correct, however, and insufficient rain falls during the coming summer, then the Municipality will have to increase their current water restriction to 50l/per person per day and strictly enforce the water restrictions to avoid a Day Zero-scenario.

The water situation in Dysselsdorp and De Rust is seen to be under control with the water augmentation projects which are planned to be completed and implemented before the end of 2018.

My Department remains committed to assist the Municipality with technical advisory services, support in terms of Water Demand Management and water awareness campaigns.

My Department and myself had a meeting with members of the Oudtshoorn Municipality and Council (Municipal Manager, Technical Director and Councillor) on Friday, 14 September 2018 to discuss the drought situation in Oudtshoorn and the possible way forward. According to the Municipal Manager, detailed plans with estimates of the proposed emergency pipeline between the Blossoms Wellfields and Oudtshoorn will be available by end October 2018. An on-site meeting will then be arranged for the first week of November 2018 to visit the Town of Oudtshoorn, the Blossoms Wellfields and surrounding areas with the following parties present:

• Myself;
• Senior members of the Department of Water and Sanitation;
• Members of the Department of Local Government;
• All the relevant members of the Oudtshoorn Municipality and Council.