LOWER ORANGE RIVER FORUM – Maintaining South Africa's Largest

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Water resource management Drinie van Rensburg Drinie van LOWER ORANGE RIVER FORUM – Maintaining South Africa’s largest river

The Lower Orange River Forum (LORF) is is a source of water for agricultural dams, which are used for electricity a working example of how citizens are and domestic use, while the river generation, flood regulation and itself supports various aquatic organ- agricultural activities. As a result, working together with government and non- isms both within its own catchment the former variable river flow has government organisations to protect South and those of other catchments in the become more regulated. This has Africa’s valuable water resources. Article Eastern Cape through inter-basin facilitated the establishment of transfer schemes. breeding sites for the agricultural submitted by Peter Ramollo of the Northern For the arid Northern Cape the pest black fly, which causes great Cape Department of Environment and Orange River, along with its main economic losses to livestock farming Nature Conservation. tributary, the Vaal River, is an artery and tourism in the Northern Cape. of life. However, urbanisation, indus- The LORF was established in trial and mining developments as well 2003 after an outbreak of toxic riginating in the Kingdom as pollution are placing increasing blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that of Lesotho, the Orange strain on this important resource. resulted in massive fish kills in the River is the longest river in The Orange River is regulated Orange River. The initial objective of OSouth Africa, and is shared among through several weirs and some of the forum was to engage with water four countries, namely South Africa, the country’s largest dams, includ- users along the river and provide Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia. It ing the Gariep and Vanderkloof them with relevant information

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regarding issues affecting the river this and other environmental fac- therefore using more water, which system. Since then the forum has tors, the saltmarshes that harboured ultimately leads to groundwater grown, attracting various stakehold- the bird populations for which the depletion. Thought it is difficult to ers and specialists on water manage- mouth was awarded Ramsard status, completely eradicate invasive alien ment and conservation. have collapsed. plants, LORF calls on communities Last year, an event was held in If the custodian of South Africa’s to assist the government in control- October in Upington, where several water resources, namely the Depart- ling these invasive species as water scientists and other specialists pre- ment of Water Affairs, is to succumb availability is everybody’s concern. sented information on various top- to pressures to approve water use for Though the LORF is committed ics, such as biomonitoring and water the increasing developments under- to ensuring that South Africa’s main resource planning. This forum gives way in the province, it might lead to artery of life does not get reduced Without water a platform to communities, farm- a water shortage within the North- into a vein the reality is that the all forms of life ers and scientists dependent on the ern Cape or lead to extreme capital Orange River will remain stressed is threatened river to develop measures together to expenses to ensure that the available in the foreseeable future, driven safeguard the river. water can be cleared from pollution. by anthropogenic impacts such as so it is up to There are various developments The riparian zone of the Orange urbanisation, increasing agricultural the residents underway in the province, such as River is dominated by mixed woody and mining activities, and pollution living adjacent renewable energy plants, which are vegetation, such as buffalo thorn, from various sources. to the Orange expected to place an even bigger pres- wild olive, indigenous wild tamarisk, Without water all forms of life is River to help sure on water supply. All the weirs are sweet thorn, cape willow, karee trees threatened so it is up to the residents protect it. earmarked for hydropower energy and reeds that stabilise the bank and living adjacent to the Orange River to generation, and there are also plans prevent bank erosion and degrada- help protect it. Citizens are asked to to build more weirs for hydropower tion. On the other hand, invasive report any pollution, such as sewage stations within the river system. alien vegetation, such as wild tobacco, running into the river, to relevant Due to existing river regulation castor oil bush, Mexican poppy and local and government authorities. If less water is reaching the Orange mesquite has created impenetrable the authorities fail to act, communi- River Mouth estuary, a wetland of thickets along the Orange River banks ties should consider taking legal international importance. This is in areas like Onseepkans, Pelladrift, action against the polluters. In this because the water released from the Goodhouse and Vioolsdrift. way, they will be protecting their Vanderkloof Dam takes up to six The mesquite especially grows health and well-being as outlined in weeks to reach the mouth. Due to faster than indigenous vegetation, section 24 of the Bill of Rights. 

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