GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The severe water shortage in Graaff-Reinet is turning into an enormous crisis with not a single area remaining unaffected.
In response to resident’s desperation, Gift of the Givers undertook to start delivering water to affected areas today, 28 December.
According to Gift of the Givers’ Corene Conradie, their team was supposed to start on the 3 January 2023 only, but they ‘cannot ignore the cries of the community’.
“It is sad and tragic how overwhelmed we are with calls for water,” she says.
The severe water shortage in Graaff-Reinet is turning into an enormous crisis and not a single area remains unaffected. Many areas have been without water and totally reliant on water from communal tanks for months, with the demand far exceeding the supply.
Other areas such as Ryneveld Square and parts of the Horseshoe and Berg and Dal haven’t had any water for more than two weeks. There are no communal tanks in these areas.
Over the last few days, the situation has become progressively worse with more and more areas experiencing shortages.
According to DA caucus leader, Counsellor Ewald Loock, one of the biggest factors contributing to the current water crisis relates to problems experienced with connecting the dam to the system.
Loock is also of the opinion that the punitive measures implemented by ESKOM are exacerbating the situation.
Counsellor Joy Williams says residents in her Ward are desperate for water.
With regard to the latter, DA Member of Parliament, Samantha Graham-Maré, previously explained that ‘the extended times and limited periods between load shedding means that the reservoirs are not able to fill up enough to feed the water system’ and ‘the increase of 6 hours of load reduction means that the 8 towns in the Dr Beyers Naudé local municipality are now heavily at risk of having no water at all for extended periods’.
Loock says there is no indication that the municipality will challenge ESKOM’s punitive measures in court but that the ruling of the Constitutional Court that was handed down on Friday, 23 December may serve as a basis.
The constitutional court dismissed Eskom's appeal against an earlier High Court court interdict which prohibited the power giant from reducing power supply to the Ngwathe and Lekwa municipalities. These cases – Vaal River Development Association (Pty) Ltd v Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and Others and Lekwa Rate Payers Association NPC v Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and Others – have now set a legal precedent for future cases of this nature.
“Exemption based on last week’s Constitutional Court ruling will, however, only be short-term. In the long-term a sustainable agreement between the municipality and ESKOM will have to be reached,” says Loock.
“Unfortunately, it is evident that, regardless of how the municipality views the situation, the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality is not in ‘financial good standing’ with the power supplier.” Loock emphasizes that residents of the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality want the situation to be stabilized urgently and that it is absolutely necessary for the Municipal Manger to inform them how it will be done.
In response to this, Dr Edward Rankwana, Municipal Manager of the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality, notified Mayor Willem Safers that a meeting with their advocates has been scheduled to legally address the unlawful actions of Eskom, and that they will keep the community informed through the mayor as usual. He added that they appreciate Loock’s advice but know what to do.
Loock believes that the immense water crisis has the potential to turn into a humanitarian crisis. He urged the Municipal Manager to intensify municipal intervention to ‘more than merely publishing a water supply schedule which cannot be adhered to at present’.
“The dam must be connected to the system as soon as possible and external assistance, including assistance from provincial and national government, must be sought as a matter of urgency.”
Water tankers have been supplying water to certain areas that have been without water for months.
Regarding the water supply schedule, the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality published a notice on 28 December stating that low reservoir levels are affecting the filling of water tanks and, even though the water carting team is trying their utmost best to service all areas according to schedule, the turnaround time is longer than expected.
According to the municipality, water is currently carted from Aberdeen and Jansenville as additional assistance measure. The notice stated that the municipality takes note of the situation and the fact that it is becoming tiring and frustrating,
Communities are, however, urged to please refrain from threatening and/or vandalizing water trucks as this will further frustrate the supply of water to communities. It further stated that the municipality endeavours to start using water from the Nqweba dam as from this Friday, 30 December 2022.
Loock says he finds it most upsetting that, whilst those with resources are able to protect themselves to some extent against the impact of not having electricity and water, the poor just have to ‘take the punch’.
This was affirmed by Counsellor Joy Williams who told the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser that people in her Ward, where many are unemployed, are suffering tremendous hardship without water.
In response to resident’s desperation, Gift of the Givers undertook to start delivering water to affected areas today. According to Gift of the Givers’ Corene Conradie their team was supposed to start on the 03rd of January only, but they ‘cannot ignore the cries of the community’. “It is sad and tragic how overwhelmed we are with calls for water,” she says.
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