The Ndlambe Municipality has intervened to stave off an impending water disaster in Port Alfred by drastically reducing the pressure in supply pipes.
The decision was taken at a crisis meeting of the Ndlambe council yesterday morning, guided by municipal experts who have warned there is less than a month of drinking water left for the Sunshine Coast town, at the present rate of consumption. It was implemented immediately from yesterday midday, according to Communications manager Khulukile Mbolekwa. A team was also set to compiling a business plan to present to the government to support a plea for urgent funding for a new disalination plant.
The de-pressurisation measure has been implemented equally, across poor and affluent areas, in Port Alfred and adjoining Nelson Mandela Township, Mbolewa said. The town is an uneven area, with valleys and hills, and it is possible residents in the high-lying areas will be more challenged for supply. They will get water, but supply will be slow.
Port Alfred has only about seven days for drinking water left from its main source, the Sarel Hayward Dam, situated in the catchment above Bathurst. Besides this there is a holding dam that is still full, and it will give us the extra days for the total estimate of 15-20 days, perhaps more than a month. If it does not rain, even with the present restriction in place – after that we will have no water left. That is why we had to act.
The initial crisis plan was to cut water completely through certain periods of the day, but the authority realise this would be a mistake. The underground water supply pipe is very old, and to close the valve completely, then re-opening it again might result in the pipe breaking, not being able to handle the pressure. The Ndlambe Municipality hopes the depressure strategy will give them enough time to build a desalination plant in Port Alfred.
One such plant already exist which serves the the Ndlambe hamlets of Kenton and Bushmans, while Alexandria, Boknes and Cannon Rocks have a back-up from a spring in the local dunes. Bathurst is being serve by borehole water but its dams are completely dry and it is in an even worse crisis than Port Alfred. So the plan is that the new desalinator will serve Port Alfred and Bathurst.
Mr. Mbolokwe said Ndlambe Municipality had not yet formulated a specific strategy as to how it would solve the onerous electricity demands of a desalinator but this detail would be specified in contractor submissions. “Water is a right, and we have to serve our customers. We understand the costs, but we need to solve this problem.”
- Water Rhapsody are in the process of communicating with the Ndlambe Municipality, informing them of the advantages of Rainwater Harvesting, and Grey water Re-use for toilet flushing, for this might keep residents of Port Alfred from having to deal with this water crises in there homes.
