- Heavy rains and flooding have left the coastal town of Hermanus in a water crisis.
- Critical water infrastructure was washed away, leaving some areas without water since Monday.
- Water tankers have been dispatched and municipalities are pleading with residents to use water sparingly.
Hermanus residents are queueing for water from tankers after heavy rains and ensuing flooding washed away critical infrastructure over the weekend.
Some areas have been without water since Monday.
In a statement, Overberg District Municipality emergency services manager Reinard Geldenhuys said the municipality was “under great pressure to restore water supply and repair critical road infrastructure”.
“The loss of bulk water infrastructure has an excessive impact on the Overstrand and Theewaterskloof potable water supply,” Geldenhuys said.
Several water tankers and bulk water supply points have been implemented, and severe water restrictions are in place.
READ | Cape Town assesses damage and continues mop-up operations after devastating floods
The Overstrand municipality has also implemented water restrictions in the greater Hermanus and Kleinmond areas, saying taps are running dry.
Overstrand municipal manager Dean O’Neill said: “Greater Hermanus and Kleinmond water reservoirs are currently critically low to empty, following the long weekend’s heavy rains and damage to the water networks at De Bos dam and Palmiet Pump Station.
“It seems that after the request to use water sparingly, the opposite was done in many cases to store water, which has depleted the stored amount.”
O’Neill said a water shortage was “a real threat”.
“The municipality will provide water tankers in the various suburbs in the event that the reservoirs run dry. Please stock up on bottled water and assist us in ensuring that the little water we have can last as long as possible until the bulk water supplies have been restored,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Onrus Caravan Park is temporarily closed and on Thursday, the organisers of the Hermanus Whale Festival announced that this year’s festival had been cancelled.
“Given the ongoing challenges and uncertainties related to the aftermath of the Cape storm of the previous weekend, we believe it is the responsible and prudent choice to cancel the Hermanus Whale Festival this year,” the organisers said.
Geldenhuys added that humanitarian relief in the form of warm meals, mattresses, blankets, and hygiene packs had been supplied to 4 000 families in the Overberg.
The Western Cape government’s early estimations indicate nearly R1.4 billion in damages in the agricultural sector due to the weekend’s strong winds and heavy rainfall.