Nelson Mandela Bay dam at lowest level as day zero nears

“If this drought continues, the Churchill Dam will dry up by April,” warns a senior official at the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.

The dam currently supplies water to the southern and western suburbs of Nelson Mandela Bay, including parts of the densely populated KwaZakhele and New Brighton townships.

Running water will run dry

The official, who asked not to be named, said that thousands of households in these communities, as well as parts of the Kouga municipality will be without any running water should the dam run dry.

The official said that should this happen, water would be pumped directly from the Nooitgedacht water scheme.

“When this process starts, people should know that we have reached day zero,” the official said.

Residents urged to reduce consumption

Last week, mayor Retief Odendaal urged residents to reduce daily water consumption urgently. As of 11 January, the combined dam level was 15%, of which only 9% is usable water.

Odendaal said the city could no longer meet its daily water demand of 286 megalitres.

Dam capacity

Dam capacity, as of 9 January, was: Churchill Dam 31%, Kouga Dam 16%, Groendal Dam 16% and Loerie Dam was at 47%.

The city highlighted that Impofu Dam level was at just over seven percent, the lowest level it has yet been.

“The pumps on the barge near the intake tower will soon reach the riverbed and will need to be moved. The new barge, 6km downstream near to the dam wall, requires electrical connections before it can be brought online. This will allow the municipality to draw the last remaining dead storage from this dam.

“The drought situation is real and we need everyone to take it seriously and reduce their water consumption,” Odendaal pleaded.

50 litres a day

Each person has been asked to only use 50 litres of water per day. Despite the current crisis, many residents and visitors appeared to ignore water restrictions over the festive period.

In Govan Mbeki and Zwide, the municipality started installing water meters last year to better monitor and restrict consumption. Nozuko Singaphi from Zwide said: “The meters are good under the current water crisis but we have big families.

In summer we do most of our traditions like slaughtering and homecoming parties for the initiates. Everybody is at home and consumption of water increases.”

Charles Grootboom from Govan Mbeki township said: “I had to buy a water tank for R2 500 to have enough water for my family of five and for when I do my traditional functions.”

In Kariega, hundreds of Gunguluza residents in Area 11 have been hit hard by the water shortage since July 2022. One of the municipal water truck drivers said they have to make three trips a day to the area to get enough water to it.

READ MORE: Nelson Mandela Bay rebuffs DA’s claims of a water crisis

Days without water

Resident Khayalethu Kate said people often go days without getting any municipal water. Kate said the situation was worse for the many people with disabilities living in council homes.

In the Kouga municipality, mayor Horatio Hendricks said that households still had running water, but beach showers have been prohibited.

“We share the Churchill, Impofu and Loerie dams. So the current water situation in Nelson Mandela Bay has a severe [impact] on our region’s water supply,” he said. “We draw just 30% of our full annual water quota from the dams.”

Hendricks said that should taps run dry, the municipality planned to deploy about 100 water tankers when needed.

“Two of the four [water] plants to purify borehole water are already completed. Kouga municipality will soon be able to supply drinkable borehole water to residents,” he said.

The mayor said the first plant was built at the Humansdorp water treatment works and the second at the Jeffreys Bay water treatment works building.

Two more plants planned for Hankey and St Francis Bay will be completed soon, he said.

READ MORE: Nelson Mandela Bay ‘could run out of water’ by end of May

This article originally appeared on GroundUp and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.