'George is losing its dam'

Update

GEORGE NEWS - The dismissal of the appeals against the environmental approval granted for the proposed development at the Garden Route Dam has caused much dismay among appellants and concerned residents.

However, the Garden Route Dam Action Group (Gardag) is not giving up the fight yet. Chairperson Desireé du Preez said they are disappointed, but not surprised by the minister's decision.

"We do not agree with the arguments in the appeal decision, and Gardag is in contact with other appellants and our legal adviser to determine a way forward," she said.

"There has been an outcry from the public and we thus hope to garner enough support to halt this massive development right on the wall of the Garden Route Dam".

Tracey Pharoah, Eden resident and spokesperson for Garden Route 101, expressed regret at the decision. She told George Herald that everything that is being proposed is putting George's only water source at risk.

"Water is life and water scarcity affects every single person in our community. The big question is whether our democratically elected leaders are squandering public funds that would have been better utilised to improve the quality of lives of our impoverished communities, or looking at projects focused on sustainability of the water supply before embarking on further development that will put additional strain on our resources. We will continue to support the efforts of environmental groups who will not give up their fight to protect our natural resources."

Pharoah also spoke on Unfiltered SABC, saying the authorities are not able to provide information that supports this kind of development and prove its sustainability. When the size of the dam and the population growth are taken into account, George's water supply is under threat.

"Why use our main water source, which is very limited, to create such a big development? There are many other areas that could be used for that, including an existing university. We feel it is something we have to fight for and it is not just for a small group of people, but for the entire community of George," said Pharoah.

She said other areas and rivers beyond the dam as well as the sea would be impacted too by pollution from this development because of the proposed placement of the sewage infrastructure.

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According to Dr Dennis Farrell, chairman of the Sustainability City Forum, there are still unanswered questions regarding the development, such as who the entities are that have expressed interest in establishing tertiary education facilities in George and why millions are being spent on impact assessment studies and a rezoning process if the municipality says there are no interested investors, yet the municipality itself is also not going to do the development.

"The public requires to know how much of ratepayers' money has been spent on this as well as on an overseas visit to elicit support for the university. Also, why is the district municipality so quiet - part of its integrated development planning (IDP) is the protection of the region's water sources?"

'George losing its dam'

Ingrid van Wyk, ratepayer and nearby resident, expressed the fear that "George is losing its dam". "I wonder if the authorities have truly reflected on the fact that it is an irreplaceable natural resource. The impact of development will also be wider. The dam area is a treasured George nature gem used by thousands of runners, cyclists and walkers and the only access to nature for everyone living to the north of George, across political boundaries and income bands."

Water use licence

In response to a request for comment, George municipal communications head Chantel Edwards said the municipality does not wish to comment at this point as it was still awaiting the outcome of its appeal against the Water and Sanitation Department's decision regarding its water use licence application for this development.

The application was rejected due to certain issues pertaining to the buffer no-go area, a rehabilitation plan for proposed in-stream water use activities, the storm water management plan for the development, a proposed bridge across the Klein Swart River wetland, and proposed relocation of the existing Glenwood pump station.

Photo: Alida de Beer