Western Cape moves in to clear vital water canals
31 July 2017
The Western Cape Government is moving in to clear silted-up water canals in an emergency effort to maximise water flowing into the Voëlvlei Dam. The dam is an important source of water both for the City of Cape Town and towns on the drought-stricken West Coast.
The national Department of Water and Sanitation has failed to maintain the canals flowing into Voëlvlei. Maintenance of South Africa’s major storage dams and related infrastructure, including canals, forms part of national government’s mandate.
Premier Helen Zille said the Province is now diverting R3.5 million to conduct emergency maintenance to the Voëlvlei canals, stepping in where the national government has neglected its responsibility.
“Despite the fact that maintenance of state water infrastructure is not a provincial competence, the provincial government is having to divert millions from other projects for this essential work,” Zille wrote in a Daily Maverick column today.