Knysna braces for tourism surge amid severe water restrictions

THE Knysna Municipality has expressed its preparedness to welcome thousands of holidaymakers despite being in the grip of heightened water restrictions. 

December and January are traditionally Knysna’s busiest tourism months, with the greater Knysna area welcoming more than 70 000 visitors, according to post-season tourism surveys and data from the online booking platform NightsBridge, the municipality confirmed. 

While the Knysna Municipality had intensified operational and monitoring measures to safeguard water security, it maintained that the town remains open and prepared to welcome visitors. 

“The Old Place reservoir is currently low, and as a result, the Milkwood Drive area is affected. Reservoir levels are, however, showing signs of recovery,” Knysna municipality said in an update. 

Knysna municipality spokesperson, Nwabisa Nompunga said the town was currently experiencing a prolonged period of dry weather, like much of the Southern Cape, which necessitated the implementation of water restrictions.

"The impact on the tourism sector has been carefully managed. The local tourism industry has responded responsibly and proactively, implementing strong water-saving measures to ensure that Knysna continues to offer a high-quality visitor experience.

“Tourism establishments, particularly accommodation providers, are acutely aware of the prevailing conditions and have taken meaningful steps to reduce water consumption. These measures include the installation of low-flow devices, the suspension of non-essential laundry services, and the sustainable management of swimming pools. Many businesses have also invested in water-wise systems such as rainwater harvesting, boreholes and water recycling. As a result, most tourism activities remain unaffected by the current restrictions,” Nompunga said.

The municipality noted that the Akkerkloof Dam is currently at 27% and the Balancing Dam at 21.9%.  

Pumping to Akkerkloof remains offline, while abstraction at Charlesford stands at 208 litres per second with two pumps running. Water production increased from 13 143 kilolitres on 16 December to 16 648 kilolitres on 17 December. The Gouna system was scheduled for commissioning Thursday, while the Glebe system, which remained offline due to a faulty oil pressure unit, was due for replacement on Thursday. There is currently no water flowing over the Knysna Weir.

Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers has stepped in to assist affected towns  since December 11. 

Gift of the Givers, Southern Cape coordinator, Mario Ferriera said: “We’ve been providing water, filling the reservoirs, and we’ve been assisting individuals. We’ve been filling up the necessary storage tanks to help the people get through this time of need. We’ve also been assisting in Brenton-on-Sea and various suburbs of Knysna itself. We’ve also got 5L water bottles that we supply to clinics and hospitals wherever needed. We are constantly keeping our eyes on things, assessing the situation. The teams are on the ground early in the morning till late.” 

His message to holidaymakers was: “Please don't cancel your holidays, there is water, there’s more than enough water, we’ll make sure of that."

Cape Times