Thursday, November 05, 2009

We have to prevent George, Knysna and Mossel Bay from running out of water. We are especially concerned about George.

SHOOT: Current patterns indicate a trend of warming, it's not getting wetter. They're managing this crisis by trying to reuse effluent.

Knysna was reusing treated effluent and considering a mobile desalination plant that would cost around R30m.

Mossel Bay was considering treating effluent water being used by PetroSA, at a cost of R26.5m, Pandaram said.

The drought comes as the region prepares for a major influx of holidaymakers over the festive season.
clipped from www.news24.com
"If it is declared a disaster area then we can intervene. We can bypass some of the requirements and if necessary tap into even more national funding."
The province has received R53m from the government to fight the drought in the region.
"This is so big that we as a provincial government can't tackle this alone," Bredell said.
Bredell has written to mayors of the municipalities in the region, requesting them to cut water consumption by 30%.
He also asked that they implement emergency tariffs, monitor consumers with high water consumption and "take appropriate steps" to limit their water use.
Bredell said the government was "a bit worried" that political instability in the region may stand in the way of fighting the drought.
The drought started in January this year in Sedgefield when the Karatara River, the town's primary water source, ran dry. It extended to Knysna, George and Mossel Bay as a result of low rainfall.
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