Water

Infrastructure is under pressure from multiple sources.

The small town of Danielskuil was in the news in October 2022 – for running out of water because it had rained too much.

Huge thunderstorms overwhelmed the town’s systems, already under pressure because of electrical outages and theft. The story, by Keamogetswe Thomas, appeared on the IOL website and had its own interesting backstory: it was produced through the Youth Citizen Journalism Fellowship, an initiative of the Rural Action for Climate Resilience project, which is co-funded by the EU and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.

Places like the normally dry Northern Cape will increasingly be the focus of attention as the earth warms and extreme events become more common. Municipalities in the Northern Cape have consistently struggled to supply good services to citizens. With the declaration of the entire province as a Priority Human Settlements Development Area by the National Department of Human Settlements, this situation could improve.

Progress has been made in terms of fixing leaking and burst water pipes and dealing with major blockages in the sewerage system. Six municipalities have been identified for the eradication of informal settlements. Land has been purchased on the N12 near Kimberley where houses will be built once provision for bulk capacity has been made.

In 2023 it was announced that National Treasury had allocated R1.9-billion to the Sol Plaatje Municipality to improve water and sanitation services. Phase one of the important Vaal-Gamagara Bulk Water Scheme (pictured) has been completed. The scheme supplies water to several towns and mines in the province’s mining corridor.

Two of South Africa’s great rivers meet in the Northern Cape at a point south-west of Kimberley. After absorbing the Vaal River, the Orange River continues westwards to the Atlantic Ocean and provides the basis for agriculture along its path.

North of Kimberley, the confluence of the Vaal and the Harts rivers encompasses one of South Africa’s most intensely irrigated areas. The

Online Resources

National Department of Water and Sanitation: dws.gov.za

South African Association of Water Utilities: www.saawu.org.za Water Research Commission: www.wrc.org.za

Sector Insight

Nearly R2-billion has been allocated to fix Kimberley’s water systems.

Vaalharts irrigation system is one of the most productive in the country, covering about 38 000 hectares with a variety of crops. Two of South Africa’s biggest dams, the Gariep and Vanderkloof, also provide water for irrigation and hydro-electric power. Many parts of the province are dry with sections of the north and north-west classified as semi-arid and arid. The southern Kalahari Desert receives rain but the fact that mining is a primary economic activity in the dry regions of the province presents many challenges. The town of Kuruman is an exception in that it has a natural and prolific spring, the Eye of Kuruman.

One of the major private suppliers of water in the province is Sedibeng Water. ■