In a bid to tackle diminishing water supply challenges, Amatola Water is set to implement the recently launched Amathole Water Supply System (AWSS) reconciliation strategy.

The strategy will monitor water levels through early warning systems on an ongoing basis and take steps to deal with potential water supply crises between East London and Stutterheim.

Amatola Water director of planning and development Craig Thompson says dwindling water supply pose a threat to economic growth.

“Economic growth requires more water and we are an already water scarce country. So we will need to have more water smart industry, agriculture and domestic practices in the future to free up more water to allow economic growth to continue,” Thompson says.

It’s a vicious cycle of the catch-22 kind and according to Thompson; prospects for expansion of industries and economies could evaporate if the available water resources were not used with a measure of caution.

“Economic growth will also add pressure to our limited resources as it generally requires water as a primary input.”

A Strategy Steering Committee comprising Amatola Water, Eastern Cape department of water affairs (DWA), Amathole District Municipality (ADM) and Buffalo City Municipality (BCM was formed to manage the implementation of the AWSS reconciliation strategy to ensure water sustainability for the region over a rolling 25 year planning horizon.

According to Thompson, poor public awareness on water conservation locally contributes to wastage. 

“Free basic water has created a culture of people not being conservation minded, hence leaks are not reported and fixed immediately.”

Environmental factors such as pollution and five to seven year drought cycles as the one hitting the Eastern Cape currently exacerbate the situation in South Africa.

Mining activities are responsible for most water pollution, Thompson adds.

At 54 percent of capacity, AWSS dams are just four percent above the threshold to institute water restrictions in the current Eastern Cape drought.

“In the Amathole system we are at 54 percent of capacity and the decision level to implement water restrictions is 50 percent,” says DWA national water resource infrastructure director in the Eastern Cape Dewald Coetzee.

DWA studies indicate that if steps are not taken to avert a potential crisis, the AWSS is just two years away from water restrictions.

“Studies conducted in recent years indicated that water requirements could exceed the water supply available from the AWSS dams by as early as 2012.

“If such a situation were allowed to arise, water restrictions would be commonplace with adverse socio-economic impacts for the region,” a DWA statement says.

Amatola Water says for immediate measures, loss management is key and the water board is setting the tone in minimising losses.

“Active management of water losses is our biggest contribution. We have reached world class levels at 5% losses at all treatment works and 3% losses in pipe networks.

“We recycle as much water as possible at treatment works,” says Thompson.

The AWSS operated by Amatola Water Board includes the Bridledrift, Laing, Gubu, Wriggleswade, Nahoon, Maden and Rooikrantz dams.

Laing, Rooikrantz and Wriggleswade dams are at 100 percent, 86 percent and 78 percent of capacity respectively.

Bridledrift Dam is currently at around 19, 3 percent pulling the average down to 54 percent. “To address the problem of the water level in the Bridledrift dam water is being released from Wriggleswade Dam to Bridledrift Dam via the Yellowwoods River, Laing Dam and Buffalo River,” said the department.

Coetzee said the department needed to send a strong message that would convey a sense of urgency and reflect the gravity of the situation to the public.

For More Information:

Connie Buso

Amatola Water Board

Manager: PR & Communications

Telephone: 043 7073734

For Amatola Water Board Media Relations:

Siya Miti

SMG Africa

Telephone: 043 7268833

Mobile: 078 1551134