TCTA, the unique South African bulk water infrastructure development agency which also specialises in the liability management of large water projects, is currently implementing and funding the Berg Water Project (BWP), a R1,8-billion development on the Berg River near Franschhoek.
The Berg River catchment is of particular importance to the Western Cape region. It generates about 3% of the country’s water resources, is home to about 8% of South Africa’s population and produces about 12% of GDP.
The BWP will increase the storage capacity of the integrated Western Cape Water System by almost 20% and is the first South African water augmentation project to be linked directly to demand management. It is designed to capture water during the wet season for release during the dry summer months. The dam design will allow environmental releases of up to 200 m3/s to mimic floods and to ensure the integrity of the river system.
The City of Cape Town, the main beneficiary of the water, is implementing a comprehensive water management strategy to ensure that it meets the stringent target set by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in 1994 to reduce the projected water demand in greater Cape Town by 20% (or more) by the year 2010.
Water shortages because of decreased rainfall contribute to the urgent need to save water. Since October 1 2004, all water users in the Cape metropolitan area have had to comply with serious (Level 2) water restrictions, because the current bulk water storage level is only 57% at the end of the wet season.
Against this backdrop, the Working for Water programme has become extremely important. Working for Water was launched in 1995 in an effort to tackle the problem of invading alien plants and unemployment. It is a multi-departmental initiative led by the Departments of Water Affairs and Forestry, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and Agriculture.
The programme aims to enhance water security, improve ecological integrity, restore the productive potential of land and promote sustainable use of natural resources. It also invests in the most marginalised sectors of South African society.
On June 24 2004, TCTA signed a R21-million contract with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to augment the Assegaaibos Working for Water programme, an integral part of the BWP. This area-specific programme is situated on the headwaters of the Berg River, known as the Assegaaibos. It used to contain a Safcol pine plantation before severe damage by two brush fires in 1999 ended its commercial viability. Since the fires, alien plants have displaced even more endemic fynbos.
The TCTA contract led to an increase in the number of contractors and teams on the Working for Water project. A total of 27 contractors and more than 300 workers are now active on the project. Four teams are receiving special high-altitude training to clear the surrounding mountain summits. They are being trained in abseiling, rope work and mountain survival skills and will be able to assist in search-and-rescue operations in the Boland in the near future.
A 1997 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research review of potential stream-flow reduction by invading alien plants found that a total area of about 10,1-million hectares (6,8%) of South Africa and Lesotho had already been invaded
to varying degrees of density. The national mean annual runoff was reduced by an estimated 3 300-million m3 (6,7% of national runoff). Working for Water is reversing this process in a meaningful way.
On completion of the Berg Water Project in 2007, TCTA and its partners, DWAF and the City of Cape Town, will celebrate the successful fusion of engineering, construction, demand management, environmental action and financial expertise to create a sustainable water resource in the Western Cape.