Knysna faces looming ‘Day Zero’ as water supplies dwindle

Two-minute showers, a ban on hose-pipe use and many of us simply choosing to concrete over our lawns...

Memories of Cape Town's 2017 drought are still fresh in the minds of many Capetonians, and now residents of Knysna are facing their own potential ‘Day Zero’.

The municipality has warned that the town has just 13 days of water left if current consumption continues.

A prayer meeting on Sunday saw residents appealing to the heavens for rain.

Greater Knysna Business Chamber chairperson Jan van der Westhuizen says the crisis is severe.

"Apart from the water itself, it's also the management of the water. We need to do better, and we need to do it very fast."

He adds that the crisis has highlighted years of infrastructure strain and governance challenges that have left the system vulnerable. He's concerned that the focus is on the short-term problem instead of finding a longer-term solution.

"How do we stop leakages, how do we ensure people do not overspill and overuse, and that's the important thing that we as businesses are concerned about. We must manage the water that we have."

Van der Westhuizen says the local business community welcomed the invitation by the Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, to give its input to the region's Joint Operations Committee

"From tomorrow, we will have standard intervention and meeting times with them regarding the issues, and we need to work together. This is a serious problem for the region."

Some of the ideas already put forward by local businesses include looking at additional water resources.

Once additional water resources are established, there must be adequate reservoirs to store the water, notes Van der Westhuizen.

"That by itself has been a problem for a while."

As of Tuesday morning, the Akkerkloof Dam, the main supply source to Knysna, was sitting at 15%.

To listen to Van der Westhuizen in conversation with CapeTalk's John Maytham, use the audio player below: