By Rikie Lai
A possible disaster is brewing in Makhanda, and if unchecked, it could cause “massive damage” to Rhodes University and the town. The wall of Grey Dam in the Makana Resort has slowly eroded over many years and could collapse and cause massive flooding. According to ward 8 committee member Peter Sturrock, Makhanda faces potential threats from a wall collapse.
Sturrock says wear and tear over a long passage of time, has caused massive soil erosion and collapsing of sections of overflow pipes, which can, in the worst case, cause massive flooding. This if there were to be a series of extreme weather conditions or an extended period of rainfall which could cause a surge of excess water within the wall.
Tracing the origin of the problem, Sturrock states that the overflow water from the dam enters through a concrete pipe, and around a year ago, the joints of the pipe were not well maintained. This allowed for water to leak into the soil surrounding the pipes leading to a section of the pipe collapsing, eroding the soil due to the overflow from the dam.
Although Grey Dam once sourced Makhanda’s water, Sturrock explains that it has since transitioned into a recreational destination for Makhanda and visitors. So a possible collapse would not impact the water delivery within Makhanda, and Ward 4 councillor Geoff Embling of the Democratic Alliance was able to clarify that if the overflow pipes are not fixed, the extent of threat would simply be that the public would not be able to access Grey Dam via the road that is currently available and can be seen coming under threat of erosion. He has asked for the necessary repairs to be made.
Grey Dam is situated in Ward 12, and when Grocott’s reached out to Ward 12 ANC councillor Mzobanzi Nkwentsha, he explained: “I have done a thorough study of the situation at the Grey Dam, and I am very worried that it may cause some damages that are disastrous. However, we are looking into it to resolve the risk of a catastrophe.
“The municipality has been dealing with a variety of water issues that include the provision of water to the citizenry of Makana LM including the Grey Dam situation. We hope to resolve it in earnest without derailing the focus on the work that needs to be done in relation to the provision of clean water to our people.”
Nkwentsha confirmed that no water is extracted from Grey Dam and highlighted that the situation is receiving attention and is being treated as a priority. However, considering the historical water challenges Makhanda faces, the matter of supplying water to the community is also a priority.
Grocott’s Mail also made contact with Makana Municipality spokesperson Anele Mjekula for comment and he indicated he was gathering information and could not comment until information was gathered on the situation. However, Sturrock mentioned, “A bit of preventative maintenance could have reduced the urgency and extent of what has been done.”
He speculated with Grocott’s Mail that, unlike water and electricity outages, the situation is not impacting anyone’s lives immediately, and for this reason, the municipality did not foresee the urgency of the situation, and the community does not understand the extent to which these problems if left unsolved, could cause a massive physical impact on Makhanda in the worst case scenario.
Sturrock explains that if the town experiences a series of extreme weather conditions or even a prolonged period of rainfall, the dam may have a heavy overflow, which must be redirected. This could potentially lead to the collapse of the current overflow pipes and allow the huge surge of free-flowing water to flow down Mountain Drive when it intersects with the drainage pipe in connection with Grey Street. However, this would not stop a surge of water if the overflow pipes were to collapse.
Much of the water would carry debris, which would see to it that the drainage area is blocked, which moves this water over Grey Street and into Rhodes Botanical Gardens, where it would meet with the existing stream and would subsequently overflow this area, rapidly moving towards Somerset Street. This would eventually run towards the stream, leaving Rhodes on Somerset, and due to another drainage route, which could not facilitate a large surge of water. Flooding through this stream would overflow with water stretching down Huntley Street and possibly compromising Hill Street, according to Sturrock.
This may not be an immediate outcome of the situation. However, it is a potential risk that, if not prevented, could cause massive damage to Rhodes University and Makhanda. Nkwentsha has personally studied the situation at hand and confirms that the municipality is aware and monitoring the situation. He said the effects could be disastrous, and solutions are being considered; however, the delivery of clean water to the public is also a priority that must be maintained.
Sturrock stated that preventative maintenance and general upkeep of such features of Makhanda should be implemented to prevent such eventualities and should be considered in the future to prevent such disasters.
