Keamogetswe Thomas
The water crisis that has left the residents of Danielskuil, a small town in the Northern Cape, without running water was caused by too much rainfall. From January to April, the town experienced much more rain than usual.
The South African Weather Service explained that most towns surrounding Danielskuil received double the amount of rainfall expected, particularly during February and March.
Though the Northern Cape is mainly semi-desert and dry, the rainfalls are expected in the form of thunderstorms reaching a maximum from mid-to-late summer.
Dr Andries Kruger, a senior scientist at the South African Weather Service said that the previous rainy season was marked by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) La Nina phase, which meant that above-normal rainfall was predicted for most of South Africa’s summer rainfall zone, which includes Danielskuil.
He said the climate is becoming hotter.
“With climate change, weather and climate extremes are also expected to become more frequent,” said Kruger.
The residents of Danielskuil are frustrated with interruptions to the town’s water supply for days on end.
Vusi Asvoel, a local business owner, said that they have been experiencing water cuts for more than three days.
Even though the town has an over-supply of water, residents’ taps run dry.
The storms that Danielskuil experienced during the early months of the year supplied the town with more than enough water for months.
Climate change is expected to bring irregular rainfall and thunderstorms to arid and scorching hot places like Danielskuil and most towns in the Northern Cape.
If these erratic patterns continue, many residents may find themselves and their homes submerged.
Asvoel said that he is frustrated with the lack of communication from the local municipality.
“I run a business and I need water for my business to operate properly. The municipality does not notify us of the duration of the water cuts.”
He further explained that the water cuts are done at the weekend when it is their busiest time, and he has to shut down his business.
“We should have at least been informed on time about the water cuts as we would have stored enough water to continue with business.”
The Kgatelopele Local Municipality acknowledges the water cuts that the town has been experiencing.
“The municipality can confirm that the water cuts that they have been experiencing are due to lack of proper infrastructure,” said the municipality’s acting technical manager, Katlego Mokgalagadi.
He explained that “all leakages have been attended to, and the municipality has initiated a water pressure management system that helps to reduce the rate of water flows as well as supplying enough water for the town”.
According to Mokgaladi, the reason behind these recent water cuts is not theft alone but electrical interruptions as well.
“Kgatelopele municipality operates with electrically powered water pumps, which pump the water to the reservoir. Unfortunately, in November 2021, the Eskom electrical line burnt down, leaving the municipality without power for five days and thus affecting the town’s water supply,” he said.
The municipality’s deputy technical manager, Linda Skota said: “At this current moment, the municipality has initiated a project that will partially assist with channelling stormwater to a centralised location like existing wetlands. This project will be conducted in phases due to the municipality’s budget.”
Sekota explained that the future plans of the municipality are to have a treatment plant where stormwater will be recycled.
“The Northern Cape climate is inherently variable, even without the influence of climate change, therefore the most important aspect to adapting to climate change is to be knowledgeable on the variability of the climate,” he said.
** This story was produced through the Youth Citizen Journalism Fellowship, an initiative of the Rural Action for Climate Resilience project, which is co-funded by the EU and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.