Strategic Session Beaufort West Municipality Name of Directorate
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CABRI PEER REVIEW WORKSHOP (ANGLOPHONE) POLICY AND FUNDING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE WASH DELIVERY 6-8 JUNE 2018- CAPE TOWN BEAUFORT WEST MUNICIPALITY LESSON SHARING ON BUILDING RESILIENCE IN DEALING WITH DROUGHT AND WATER SCARCITY • Servicing area: Approximately 16 330.10 km² • 4 Towns ( Beaufort West/Nelspoort/Merweville/Murraysburg) • 14 935 Households • 51 080 Residents • Main water sources ❖ Gamka dam (Beaufort West Municipal area) ❖ Boreholes ❖ Reclamation plant • Water Consumption Previously 6.9 Mℓ/day Reduced to 5.2 Mℓ/day • Water Restrictions: Level 4b water restrictions at present • Water losses at 41 % 2 Community Sector Predominant : 28.5% Transport Sector18,2% Trade Sector 15,7 % Beaufort West Municipal Budget: 67 % Generated from Services Drought Impact in respect of Sales of Water: 2017/18 : 16% revenue losses 2018/19 : 12% Loss in Revenue Forecast Inability by Farmers to pay Property Rates 2017/18 Mixed success 2018/19 Rates Increases and discounts Social-Economic Impact ❖ Drastic Increase in unemployment ▪ Full-time ▪ Seasonal ❖ Food Shortages: Farm Workers ❖ Feed for Live Stock 3 ❖ All secondary sectors and down streaming industries are suffering ❖ Tourism 23% decrease TOWN / VILLAGE EXTRACTION HOUSEHOLDS CONSUMPTION POINT Beaufort West Gamka Dam and 5 2Mℓ/Day Groundwater, 12 671 Reclaimed water Merweville Groundwater 438 0.5 Mℓ/Day Murraysburg Groundwater 1 446 0.95 Mℓ/Day Nelspoort Groundwater 380 0.4 Mℓ/Day 4 STATUS OF DROUGHT • Water supply from 3 sources: GAMKA DAM (18%); boreholes (63%); reclamation plant(19%) • GAMKA Dam below 0 level/ extraction point & is currently pumped • High water usage 5,2ml/day. • Water losses in Beaufort West is currently at 41% • Very low rainfall for past 4 years • Ground water sources is are limited because there has been no recent recharge. • Ground water levels compare to the water level recorded in 2010 and is still deteriorating. Beaufort West Municipality THE GAMKADAM SUPPLIES WATER TO ABOUT 53 168 PEOPLE IN THE BEAUFORT WEST SPHERE. LOCAL SOLUTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS • Phase 4 B water restrictions have been implemented. 15kl / household / month – levy 250% • Pressure management implemented through the whole of Beaufort West • Pamphlets supplied to all Guest houses, Shopping Centres and Cafe's situated in the main road. • Front page articles in the local news paper • Radio slot on the Local radio • Water/Drought Committee ECONOMIC IMPACT • Death of livestock • Force down scale of livestock and the lost of value of livestock due to urgency to down scaling • Decline in Tourist and uncertainty of water supply for guest. • Decline in Business due to water shortage eg Restaurants etc • Lost of jobs and rise of social problems like theft, vandalism, etc MANAGING WATER SCARCITY • Implement better or more effective water management measures, smart metering in an attempt to control water consumption; • Developing additional water sources; • Continues public awareness to ensure that the community realize the issue around water scarcity; • Better and effective Water Source Management ; • Decreasing of the water losses to less than 15%; and • Have contingency plans in place for future emergency events. URGENT MATTERS AND RESOLUTIONS • The re-prioritizing of the current MIG funds to fund augmentation projects • Equipping of 10 additional boreholes • Further water restriction to be implemented to ensure constant water supply • Prioritizing sewerage blockages as this is water needed to reclaim water. • Prioritizing water pipe bursts to ensure minimal water losses on bulk network. • Water leaks at indigent households must be prioritized if funding is made available. LESSONS LEARNT • Predicting drought -Contingency Plans • Lots of time, energy, travelling costs invested to report on drought, attendance of all types of forum meetings and compilation of business plans and applications for grant funding with in some cases no or very little return on investment: Lots of promises nothing happened. • When relief (grant funding is received it is so late after the application that it causes new problems i.e.: • End of financial year (roll over applications); • Funds to be spent before financial year end of municipality; • Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs money was received in January and had to be spent by 31 March 2018 • Challenges with National Departments -not fulfilling their mandates: • Department Water and Sanitation; and • Department Agriculture. 13 CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED • Western Cape Department of Local Government • Department of Rural Development and Land Reform • Department of Mineral and Energy (Geoscience) • Gift of the Givers • Local Radio Stations • Muslim Community • Kuier magazine/Kfm/Eye Witness News/ Times live/Radio Sonder Grense • Business Community- 30 Trucks from a Farmer in Mpumalanga Beaufort West, land of space in the Great Karoo, aims to improve the quality of life for all it’s residents, including Merweville, Murraysburg and Nelspoort by being a sustainable, expanding and safe town T H A N K Y O U KOSIE J. HAARHOFF MUNICIPAL MANAGER Tel: +23 414 8195 Cell: 083 374 4370 Email: [email protected].