CHRIS Hani District Municipality (CHDM) will spend hundreds of thousands of rands as a short-term measure to deal with the water crisis in Dordrecht.
A crisis committee has been established and a number of interventions will unfold.
Making a presentation during an ordinary council meeting on Wednesday, CHDM executive mayor Kholiswa Vimbayo said Dordrecht was one of the hardest-hit parts of the area by the current drought situation. Severe water restrictions had been imposed to preserve the remaining limited water supply.
She said the recent rains had not yet supplemented the supply.
On March 2, the district authority had a public engage-ment session with stake-holders in the small town.
As a result of the session, a crisis committee was established to ensure local representation in dealing with water challenges in the area.
“We are a council that acknowledges the water crisis. However, we must agree there are areas that need more attention as they are the most severely affected. Sometimes when we look for solutions without consulting the affected people, those solutions are not welcome,” she said.
The district authority would improve the frequency of water-carting by adding two more water tankers to the two already deployed in the area.
There will be a “massive” door-to-door campaign. “The focus will be on education and awareness within the area about the extent of the situation and measures to curb it,” Vimbayo said. Ten water tanks would be installed in strategic areas to ensure water was available beyond daylight hours. Plumbers will be appointed to erect tank stands and repair leaks.
The R450000 allocated will also pay for repairing an open pipe at the Anderson Dam to enable the municipality to extract water. Water treatment works will be refurbished to ensure the plant is well maintained to keep up with water demands in Dordrecht.
Drilling of additional boreholes will be commissioned to link the pipeline to supplement the supply from the Anderson Dam. The money will be sourced from the currently existing drought contract.
