GROUNDWATER
Drought mitigation projects for
KOUGA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY The Kouga Dam, when it was filled with water
In November 2018, the Kouga, Churchill and Impofu dams – the primary water supply of Kouga Local Municipality (LM) – were sitting at 18% of their combined storage capacity. Fortunately, groundwater projects have proven to be a successful alternative water resource and a water conservation and demand management (WC/WDM) programme has reduced current demand. By Martin Labuschagne, area manager, Sarah Baartman District Municipality
D
ue to a severe drought, Kouga LM was declared a National State of Disaster by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The National Drought Disaster Grant was used for groundwater exploration, the development and equipping of boreholes, as well as an extensive WC/WDM programme for various affected towns within the district.
Groundwater and WC/WDM Kouga LM identified potential groundwater sources, then drilled 17 and equipped
9 boreholes on its land. It also constructed the required conveyance infrastructure to connect the boreholes to the water supply networks and various water treatment works (WTWs). Additional boreholes were drilled on adjacent, privately owned property. However, due to funding constraints, these boreholes will only be equipped and commissioned at a future stage. Due to the lack and loss of water, the municipality embarked on the replacement of old pipes (mostly asbestos cement) and distribution infrastructure with PVC pipelines.
TABLE 1 Water stats for towns within Kouga Local Municipality
Oyster Bay Allowable (licensed) abstraction volume Volume water supplied (July 2018) Volume water supplied (2021)
Hankey 571 000 m3 per annum 1.563 Mℓ/day
Patensie 480 000 m3 per annum 1.314 Mℓ/day
1.435 Mℓ/day
1.372 Mℓ/day
760 kℓ/day
821 kℓ/day
Current demand Projected 2030 water demand (2% growth)
18
433 kℓ/day
IMIESA November/December 2021
1.75 Mℓ/day
1.67 Mℓ/day
Jeffrey’s Bay
Humansdorp
Cape Saint Francis
8.1 Mℓ/day
6.676 Mℓ/day
2.414 Mℓ/day
10 Mℓ/day
8.2 Mℓ/day
2.98 Mℓ/day