Load-shedding exemption obtained for George's water purification plant

GEORGE NEWS - George Municipality’s water purification plant and main domestic water pump stations have received exemption from load-shedding for stage three and above.

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has assisted the municipality in applying for exemption from Eskom, that has approved it until June 2023.

According to George Municipality's chief of communications, Chantèl Edwards, the exemption is for the Garden Route raw water pump station from load-shedding stages 2 to 8 in the summer months (1 December 2022 to 30 April 2023) and from stages 3 to 7 in the winter months (1 May to 30 June).

“The exemption is only for the raw water pump station and not the rest of town. The exemption expires by the end of June,” she said.

Gerhard Otto, head of Disaster Management at GRDM, said during discussions with the Western Cape Government (WCG) head of department for Local Government around the load-shedding crisis, it was confirmed that stages 4 to 6 of load-shedding would become the norm for South Africa in the foreseeable future.

In response to the dire situation, GRDM approached Eskom regarding exemption for George and other Garden Route municipalities.

“We have also assisted Oudtshoorn Municipality in applying for an exemption above stage three for the operation of their water infrastructure. This includes providing water to the Klein Karoo Rural Water Supply Scheme, which includes boreholes in Dysselsdorp. This particular approval is pending the construction of a short feeder line, which is currently required,” said Otto.

According to Otto, GRDM has also been providing bulk domestic water storage tanks (5 000-litre tanks) to ensure that water is available to residents in Kannaland and Oudtshoorn in high-lying areas.

“Since the start of January, GRDM Fire Services has provided approximately 102 000 litres of water to water-stressed communities in the Klein Karoo.”

GRDM has also applied to the WC Provincial Government for funding towards the rental or purchase of backup generator units. These will assist local municipalities when they experience challenges due to extended periods of load-shedding.

According to GRDM, this will place severe strain on the operational budgets of municipalities because of the high cost of diesel required to keep the generators running.

GRDM has contacted the provincial and national disaster management centres to determine if it would be possible to declare the Garden Route district as a local disaster area due to the current load-shedding challenges.

This would enable local municipalities to access disaster grant funding, as well as to implement emergency measures to be able to address financial and operational challenges, due to the current prolonged periods of load-shedding.

According to GRDM, the Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, will be requesting President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national state of disaster. If this is not approved, the National Disaster Centre will alternatively be requested to classify the Western Cape as a provincial disaster area.

GRDM Fire Services has provided approximately 102 000 litres of water to water-stressed communities in the Klein Karoo.