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[FILE IMAGE]: Dried-out branches are seen amongst caked mud.
Although rain has fallen in the Garden Route and Little Karoo regions of the Western Cape, it’s still not enough to stave off the current drought conditions.
Several towns are experiencing water shortages as their dams and rivers run dry. Most municipalities have introduced water restrictions. In Oudtshoorn, the small towns of De Rust and Dysselsdorp face the brunt of the water shortages.
They’re currently on level six restrictions.
With 20mm of rain delivered last week, its not still not enough.
Oudtshoorn Mayor Johan Allers says dam levels are low.
“Our dam level is still at 59, and that is stable. But our ground water remains under pressure. The Vermaaks Rivier is not doing what’s its supposed to as well as the blossoms project. But the Klein Karoo water scheme is delivering to De Rust. Because of the recent rain, the water from the mountains is dirty, so we can’t use it.”
In Knysna, the Akkerkloof dam is still critical at around 23%. Borehole water is being pumped into the system. Residents have been warned that their water usage is still high.
The mayor of Knysna Thando Matika has called on residents to use water sparingly.
“We are still talking with residents and asking them to preserve water, and we must use water sparingly. So that’s our message. Let’s try bit by bit and save water. And we must report leakages that are there. We must also report people who are not adhering to the level 4 restrictions.”
The Garden Route dam in George is also not looking good. Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe, George Municipality spokesperson says they have nearly 17 weeks of water supply.
“The Garden Route dam stands at 43.61%, slightly down from 43.75% last week. Haarlem dam is currently at 20%, down from 21% last week with 26mm of rainfall recorded. The estimated remaining water supply at the Garden Route dam is approximately 17 weeks.”
Further up the Garden Route, several towns in the Hessequa Local Municipality are struggling. Riversdale and Heidelberg are the worst affected even with the good rain, the water is not reaching the dams.
Hessequa Municipality Municipal Manager, Albert de Klerk, “Because of the dryness and the extreme drought, the water at this stage is not coming through to the dams. We are actually making a concerted effort to communicate to the public to say that it will take some time for the dam levels to reach an acceptable level. We are also informed that we have at this stage with the weather predictions that the outlook for the winter is also gonna be rainfall that’s gonna be there, but lower than expected.”
All these municipalities have asked residents to adhere to the restrictions and to try to implement their own water-saving methods at home.
Warning of impending drought in Western Cape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4xjOHdaq3w
