Water shortages hammer Wild Coast towns as drought bites

Amathole District Municipality does not foresee an immediate “day zero” scenario but says drought conditions have reached crisis levels in parts of its jurisdiction, with one key dam at 0% capacity and coastal towns already underwaterrationing. District mayor Anele Ntsanganisaid the municipality was implementing “stop-gap measures” to prevent system failure as dam levels continued to fall. Some of the hardest-hit areas include tourist towns along the Wild Coast such as Chintsa, Morgan’s Bay and Kei Mouth.

In late January, the Dispatch reported on warnings that, at current consumption rates, parts of Amathole’s supply could fail to meet demand by May 1. Smaller coastal systems are already under acute pressure. Cwili Dam, which services Morgan’s Bay and Kei Mouth, has dropped below outlet level and was confirmed in January to be at 0% capacity, forcing the introduction of water rationing.

But Ntsangani said officials were working to ensure taps did not run dry. “We are experiencing severe drought currently, and we’re afraid that it’s going to persist. But we still firmly believe with divine intervention, rain will eventually fall.

[paywall]

“However, we are devising strategies to mitigate that state of affairs, as we want to ensure that our communities do not suffer because of drought. “No amount of planning can beat natural causes and that is why we are painstakingly trying to make sure our communities have safe water to drink,” Ntsangani said. The district, which provides bulk water services to several local municipalities, has appointed a geo-hydrologist to assess the potential to tap underground water in affected areas through the drilling of boreholes. “We’ve contracted the services of a geo-hydrologist who will conduct research on underground water in the area which will assist us a great deal in terms of drilling a number of boreholes there.

[/paywall]