Cape Town – Plans have been put in place to repair a canal that funnels water from the Clanwilliam dam to about 680 farmers, major mining companies and about 45 000 residents.
The breakage was the result of age, the Lower Olifants River Water Users Association said, adding that the canal was built between 1920 and 1935.
The association’s spokesperson, Johan Matthee, said they had been calling on the government to upgrade the canal for the past 14 years.
Matthee said the quick response of his team resulted in water supply being restored to the area swiftly.
“The municipalities have enough storage capacity for three weeks. The 680 farmers and 15 000 farmworkers could have suffered if the emergency repair was not done in such a short time-frame. As the Water Users Association, we are locally responsible for the canals,” he said.
The MEC for economic opportunities, Alan Winde, commended the association for the swift action.
“The section of the canal broke due to an electronic malfunctioning of the telemetry system which controls the water level in the canal. This resulted in an overflow at the concrete canal section, which washed away the soil supporting the canal lining,” he said.
“A temporary steel structure was installed to replace the broken canal lining. This temporary structure will be replaced by concrete lining during the annual maintenance period in winter.”
Under the National Water Act, the association was responsible for the maintenance and management of the infrastructure. Winde commended the association for its efforts to resolve the matter.
“The association and the contractor it appointed, Namakwa Engineering, took swift action under a high-pressure situation. They worked tirelessly, 24 hours a day until the water supply was restored."
“The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is halfway through a R4 million proactive maintenance plan on the Clanwilliam dam canal system."
“Three specific stretches of the canal were identified as critical due to the ageing of the infrastructure, with some being more than 80 years old."
“Pro-active maintenance is being carried out on these sections over a three-year period."
“Due to prompt action we’ve been able to avoid any serious loss of revenue or jobs or damage to crops,” Winde said.
In 2015, one of the canals running off the Clanwilliam dam collapsed, costing the agriculture sector R100m.