BCM water restrictions looming

Buffalo City Metro (BCM) may be forced to introduce water restrictions next month if water levels at Bridle Drift, Rooikrans and Wriggleswade dams continue to fall.

A report to be tabled at tomorrow’s council meeting suggests that if the BCM and its catchment areas do not get enough rainfall soon, the metro will have to come up with a contingency plan to deal with the drought as soon as June.

Engineering services portfolio committee head Ncedo Kumbaca said: “The rain we need is not the drizzle that we get from time to time. We need heavy downpours to be able to keep up with the consumers’ demand.

“The levels as they stand suggest that we have to effect restrictions to avert a crisis,” said Kumbaca.

Of most concern is Bridle Drift dam, the main supplier of raw water to East London and Mdantsane. Its level is at 37%, and is lower than last year’s levels at the same period.

In his report drafted on February 22, the then-head of engineering services, Mark Westerberg, said Bridle Drift was declining at an average of 0.8% per week, “which indicates that a drought situation is closely approaching the municipality if expected rains do not materialise this summer”.

He said as of February 13, Rooikrantz dam was at 81.2% but must not fall below the 70% level, while Wriggleswade was at 87.5% and must not fall below 60%.

Bridle Drift was at 52.2% . Westerberg said the dam must not fall below 40%.

“If the current situation does not change and the Rooikrantz dam level declines at 1.3% per week, then the implementation of water restrictions and punitive tariffs would be triggered in May 2017,” he said.

The Saturday Dispatch reported last weekend that the situation at Bridle Drift dam had worsened, with its water level down to 47.7%.

Kumbaca said while they did not want to ratepayers to panic, “we have to have a long-term solution to avoid a crisis.

“We have a crisis of unnecessary water loss. The long-term solution is that the metro has to beef up its water infrastructure to accommodate huge projects such as the Bhisho office precinct, which on its own will need a lot of water supply from the metro.

“What we want the council to resolve is a long-term solution to the looming water shortage crisis.

“If needs be, we will have to build a new dam, but meanwhile we want to inject R430-million into beefing up the Zwelitsha treatment works, and have a new water scheme in Newlands, while the Amahleke project is at an advanced stage,” said Kumbaca.

Meanwhile, he said, the metro would have to introduce water restrictions to avoid the looming crisis.

If council adopts the recommendations, ratepayers will only be permitted to water their lawns between 7am and 10am and 7pm and 10pm, while empty public and private pools will only be filled after obtaining a written exemption from the municipality.

BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the water cuts would mean a financial saving. Households would be expected to save about 10% of their monthly consumption.

But introducing punitive measures is not off the table either.

“Implementation of punitive tariffs will be done as the second stage if the dam levels do not improve and the consumers fail to reduce their monthly consumption by 10%.

“Punitive tariffs will vary depending on the levels of dams and water consumption for each consumer,” said Cindi.

Even though no restrictions would be effected in the commercial car washing business, those who chose to wash and clean their own cars would have to park the vehicle on a lawn or other porous surfaces, and would not be allowed to wash their cars more than once a week. — zineg@dispatch.co.za