Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, June 20
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Cue
        • Cue Archives
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»OPINION & ANALYSIS»Water Crisis in Makana and Blocked Intake Valve at Howiesonspoort Dam
    OPINION & ANALYSIS

    Water Crisis in Makana and Blocked Intake Valve at Howiesonspoort Dam

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailMay 3, 2023Updated:May 3, 2023No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Howiesonspoort pump station
    Howiesonspoort pump station. Photo: Geoff Embling

    By Geoff Embling

    An oversight visit was done on Tuesday, 2 May 2023, to Howiesonspoort dam, which is full to the point of overflowing. According to municipal reports, the intake valve from the dam to the pump station is blocked, and the municipality said it would recruit divers to unblock it. There are three water inlet grids which feed water from the dam into a small concrete tower situated on the dam wall. From there, a pipe carries water which gravitates to the Howiesonspoort pump station situated below the dam wall. The water is then pumped to Waainek water treatment works before being fed to the city.

    Water levels at Howiesonspoort dam. Photo: supplied
    Water levels at Howiesonspoort dam. Photo: Geoff Embling

    No one was at the dam at the time of the oversight visit, and it didn’t look as if there had been any work done there recently, as everything was intact. The concrete tower and its square water-holding cavity was full of water, with three large covering grids in place.

    The concrete tower and its square water-holding cavity were full of water, with three large covering grids in place. Photo: Geoff Embling

    Councillors and members of the public have asked management about the specifics of the intake valve issue, and answers have not been forthcoming. If an intake valve on the dam-side of the wall was blocked, it may require divers to unblock it, but there are three separate grids allowing water in, so water would still be able to get to the pump station if one was blocked.

    Howiesonspoort dam, which is full to the point of overflowing
    Howiesonspoort dam, which is full to the point of overflowing. Photo: Geoff Embling

    A second scenario might be that the problem is with the intake valve inside the concrete tower on the dam wall, which prevents water from gravitating to the pump station. If this was the case, the easiest way to determine the blockage would be to pump the square holding cavity dry, which would not take long. Yet, at present, the cavity is full of water with all grids above intact.

    Howiesonspoort dam, which is full to the point of overflowing
    Howiesonspoort dam. Photo: Geoff Embling

    Several years ago, Makana was struggling to manage its water affairs, and water management was handed over to a private company. It managed the city’s water until some years ago, and when Makana’s water management took back the reins, residents were receiving a regular supply of water and there were three working pumps at Howiesonspoort pump station. Now, there is only one working pump at Howiesonspoort, and the water situation has progressively got worse under municipal management. If the one remaining pump at Howiesonspoort were to fail, it would lead to the same situation that Makana is in at present.

    For over two weeks, several areas in Grahamstown East, and certain high-lying areas in Grahamstown West, have not had water, whilst more fortunate parts of the city are limping along on a one-day-on, two-days-off cycle. Makana’s water management needs urgently to be outsourced to a private company which knows how to manage and perform routine maintenance on pumps, valves, pipes, and mechanical workings.

    There is one provincial water authority that Makana municipality might do well to steer clear of, which has proved to be a particularly poor contractor in its management of the James Kleynhans water works upgrades. Hundreds of millions of rands have been managed by the contractor for the James Kleynhans upgrades, with delay after delay, lasting for years, with little discernible impact so far in Makana’s water supply.

    Previous ArticleUnsuccessful cable theft attempt at St Mary Primary School
    Next Article What’s On 04 – 11 April
    Grocott's Mail

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.