Load Shedding
10 March 2023 Media Release: Load shedding relief: GRDM receives R1.6 million for generators from the WC Government
Load shedding relief: GRDM receives R1.6 million for generators from the WC Government
For Immediate Release
10 March 2023
Since load shedding is expected to continue and possibly increase going forward, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) approached the Western Cape Department of Local Government to apply for an Emergency Municipal Load Shedding Grant.
This action was taken in response to the GRDM Disaster Risk Reduction – capacity building plan, aimed at implementing emergency measures at district level to mitigate the impacts of load shedding on municipal services, businesses, and the economy.
In response, GRDM received R1.6 million to buy at least four (4) mobile 120 KVA diesel powered back-up generators. These will help local municipalities in the Garden Route. The purpose of the new back-up power units would be to use at water and waste water sites.
GRDM also intends to assist local municipalities in need of Water Use Licence Applications/Renewals (WULA). Several municipalities have struggled to comply due to an overflowing or spilling sewer at pump stations – a direct result of not having backup energy at all their sites.
This project will help to temporarily reduce the effects of load shedding on basic services, especially water and sanitation.
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Relevant Documentation:
E200CS CANOPY – 120KVA CANOPY GENERATOR
Provincial-Gazette-Extra-2023-GJ_8719-Extra-Treasury-Funds-2023
03 March 2023 Media Release: The effect of loadshedding on Water Quality
Media Release: The effects of load shedding on water quality
For immediate release
03 March 2023
Loadshedding was introduced to South Africa in 2007, the country’s communities and various sectors have had to adjust to its inconvenient nature and effects.
The impact of loadshedding can be seen daily. Loadshedding also has an impact that we cannot see. It has a direct impact on Municipal Services, specifically water and sanitation. Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Municipal Health Services is responsible to monitor the water quality in terms of one of their Key Performance areas within their Scope of Practise.
GRDM Municipal Health Services monitor water bodies and water sources on a routine basis to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation.
The impact of load shedding on water quality and associated risk to human health
Pumping water, treating water, and distributing drinkable water all require electricity. It is also used for the collection and treatment of wastewater. Authorities may have backup systems that can help with the aforementioned during load shedding periods; however, these systems may break down for extended periods. With load shedding the procedures, become more labor intensified with associated risks.
Water purification systems
In the case where no sufficient amount of water is treated, water might not be available for drinking and hygienic purposes.
This includes:
Cleaning households or very importantly food premises. The communities will be reminded to the term “water is life”, if taps run dry due to load shedding and not being able to drink treated water, or even not being able to flush your toilet. Untreated water can expose communities to various infectious bacteria that could be harmful to your health. The most known bacteria is Escherichia coli.
- Coli can cause diseases like gastroenteritis, as well as ear – , nose and throat infections.
Agricultural sector
Water quality is of crucial importance for this sector in our communities. Premises like abattoirs and dairy farms depend on hygiene during all the related processes and the availability of potable water plays an important part during all these processes. Pollution can occur in rivers used for agricultural purposes. This can lead to accumulation of microbiological and chemical pollutants in crops and vegetation destined for the consumer.
Sanitation
Electricity is used in all the processes of sanitation from pump station until the final process of disinfection of sewerage. Pump stations pump sewerage to the wastewater treatment plant. High-risk areas and priority areas might have backup system to ensure that the pump station does not overflow.
The overflowing of pump stations can have a detrimental effect on the environment and cause severe environmental health nuisances. Pump stations near recreational areas or rivers can pollute the nearby water source that is utilised by the communities. Communities using these recreational areas could be exposed to skin conditions, gastroenteritis or even cholera.
The possibility of untreated sewage entering our water bodies is much higher during load shedding, especially with the increase of the load shedding stages.
Please report all overflowing manholes to your local municipality.
Report all vandalism of infrastructure during loadshedding – compromised infrastructure leads to compromised water quality.
Herewith the details for each regional office within the Garden Route District:
Klein Karoo & Kannaland
Desmond Paulse
Chief: Municipal Health (Klein Karoo)
Tel: 044 272 2241 / 083 678 6530
Address: 94 St John Street, Oudtshoorn
Mossel Bay
Monique Anthony
Acting Chief: Municipal Health (Mossel Bay)
Tel: 044 693 0006
Address C/O Sampson & Marlin Street, Ext 23, Mossel Bay.
George Outeniqua
Emmy Douglas
Chief: Municipal Health (Outeniqua)
Tel: 044 803 1501 / Fax: 044 803 1566
Address: Mission Street, Industrial Area, George, 6530
Knysna Region
James McCarthy
Municipal Health Chief: Knysna
Tel: 044 382 7214 / 082 805 9417
Address: 26A Queen Street, Knysna
Bitou Region
Gawie Vos
Municipal Health Chief: Lakes (Bitou)
Tel: 044 501 1600 / 083 557 1522
Address: 7 Gibb Street, Plettenberg Bay
Hessequa Region
Haemish Herwels
Municipal Health Chief: Hessequa
Tel: 028 713 2438 / 083 678 6545
Address: 23 Michell Street, Riversdale, 6670
Johan Compion
Manager: Municipal Health & Environmental Services
E-mail: info@gardenroute.gov.za
Tel: 044 803 1300
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09 December 2022 Media Release: The effects of drought growing and prolonged electricity disruptions are increasing
Media Release: The effects of drought growing and prolonged electricity disruptions are increasing
For immediate release
09 December 2022
Local municipalities throughout the Garden Route and the country at large, are experiencing difficulties because of the persistent load-shedding caused by ESKOM. This has a ripple effect on the supply of water, sanitation services and budgets of all municipalities. In light of this, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Council has given the GRDM administration the go-ahead to do everything in its power to avert any crisis that may happen as a result of the ongoing outages and drought. GRDM Disaster Management will coordinate the short- and long-term interventions required.
According to Ald. Memory Booysen, GRDM Executive Mayor: “The administration is investigating if declaring a local drought disaster is necessary, be it for one area, a few or the entire region”.
“We also need municipalities to state if they support the GRDM to become a water services authority or not because if we have their support we will stand a greater chance to become one and will be able to act more proactively to safeguard the region from water-related disasters.”
Over the past few months, the region grappled with below-normal rainfall patterns. Severe drought in particularly the Klein Karoo, vandalism and theft all over the region and other challenges have left many municipalities focusing a lot of time to do damage control.
Some of the public concerns raised are that water infrastructure is deteriorating; load-shedding causes frequent and continuous interruptions of water supply; repairs to leaks are not always done speedily; generators are not maintained; not all municipalities have water infrastructure maintenance plans in place for the foreseeable future.
The cost of generators and maintaining them remains a challenge. Not enough funding is speedily routed back from other spheres of Government to Local Government to roll out emergency interventions. It requires declaring a region as a disaster to be able to access large sums of funding. For instance, when purchasing a 100KVA generator to pump water from a borehole, a municipality would require more than R400 000 for the infrastructure, R40 000,00 for security per month per generator; more than R140 000 per month for diesel per generator; R10 000,00 for maintenance per month. This will then only serve one borehole.
The running costs per generator will, therefore, be R200 000,00 per month. This is on top of the estimated R400 000,00 to purchase one generator. Generators are also on backorder, meaning that the district will only be able to get generators in three (3) months.
See here: How load shedding is tearing through South Africa’s economy
ENDS