R20 million emergency funding to tackle Knysna's water crisis as Day Zero looms

FOR decades the Knysna municipality has not implemented sound water infrastructure asset management and has neglected the maintenance and upgrading of its water and sanitation infrastructure.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina disclosed this following a two-day working visit to the town where she held a series of engagements with municipality leadership and stakeholders to assess the extent of the water challenges and agree on urgent measures to address the crisis.

The Knysna water crisis, while apparent from the current low storage volume of the Akkerkloof Dam, has been ongoing since 2023, she added.

“The technical teams conducted an assessment of the Knysna Water Supply System and were able to determine that sufficient water resources are available to meet the needs of Knysna if the leaks in the municipal distribution system could be reduced and the average consumption of water per capita could be brought down,” Majodina said. 

The Akkerkloof Dam, which is the municipality’s primary storage facility, is currently approximately 16% full, translating to an estimated 13 days of usable water at present consumption levels, Majodina said.

“This is compounded by long term neglect of maintenance of water infrastructure, high non-revenue water and vandalism. The situation constitutes a serious water security crisis and warrants immediate and collective action from all sectors of society.”

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will avail an emergency relief allocation of R20 million from reprioritised water services infrastructure grants to Knysna Municipality, together with the provision of technical capacity, aimed at developing groundwater resources to alleviate the current strain placed on available surface water resources in the Knysna Water Supply System.

DWS is also providing technical engineering expertise to assess the Knysna Desalination Plant to confirm its refurbishment requirements to increase the water supply, as well as to assist Knysna Municipality to strengthen its water resources planning. DWS has provided funding to Knysna Municipality for feasibility studies for a new small local dam to meet its longer-term needs.

Majodina also noted her support for the municipality in its classification of the municipality as a disaster area and said the request to the Western Cape Government to also declare Knysna a disaster area will allow the government to reprioritise resources and personnel from various sectors to address the situation. 

“We welcome and appreciate the decisive intervention and commitment demonstrated by the Minister in availing special emergency relief funding and technical support to address the municipality’s water challenges,” Knysna mayor Thando Matika said. 

“We further acknowledge and value the ongoing support and cooperation from both the Western Cape Department of Local Government and the National Department of Water and Sanitation, whose involvement strengthens the collective response to the current water crisis.”

Cape Times