Knysna’s chairperson of the Planning, Infrastructure and Development Committee, Councillor Louisa Hart, said, “The current average demand for Knysna is 12.5 megalitres (Ml) daily. We are only able to pump from the Knysna River 9.5Ml per day leaving us with a shortfall of 3Ml. When load-shedding occurs the situation deteriorates even further as the power outages affect our raw water pump stations and we can lose up to 5.5Ml during Stage Two load-shedding.”
The Akkerkloof dam is dropping at an alarming rate of almost 2.5% per week. Further influences that affect pumping and the capacity of the dam are mechanical breakdowns, bulk raw water breaks and evaporation. The erratic rainfall over the last 12 months also causes a major risk in water security. Residents may experience water interruptions due to load-shedding as some water pumping systems have no standby generators.
Existing water restrictions will be enforced. “Law Enforcement officers will be conducting spot checks and individuals found watering outside water restriction times can face fines of up to R1 000 per incident. We also request community members to be our eyes on the ground - please report individuals in your area that you witness watering outside the parameters and notify the municipality of any leaking pipes. I also plead with everyone to continuously conserve water,” Hart concluded.
Water restrictions are as follows:
Residents at even street numbers can water gardens or wash cars between 18:00 and 19:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Those with odd street numbers can water gardens or wash cars between 18:00 and 19:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No watering is permitted on a Sunday.
Please report any abuse of water to 044 302 6331.
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