Load shedding compounds the effects of the drought

15 December 2022

Load shedding compounds the effects of the drought

South Africa’s electricity crisis peaked again when Eskom implemented phase six load shedding on Wednesday 7 December. “These higher levels of load shedding place immense additional strain on our infrastructure and resources,” said Knysna’s Acting Municipal Manager Roland Butler. “Services like water supply and works at the wastewater treatment plant are now being affected by the intermittent electricity supply.”

“Our area is already experiencing a serious drought. Our rivers are not flowing and our water sources are not producing enough water,” he continued. “Even if we had enough water available, the current levels of load shedding leave much of our infrastructure and many of our pumping stations at a standstill for up to six hours per day. This means that we don’t have the power to treat water so it is fit for human consumption and then pump it to our reservoirs.”

“Our wastewater treatment works is also placed under extreme pressure during load shedding,” Butler said. “Sewerage pump stations must be manually overridden at least 30 minutes prior to the implementation of load shedding for technical and practical reasons.

This is only one example of additional overtime and manpower that is necessary to keep services running under the current circumstances.”

Water, which is in very short supply at the moment, is also crucial to the wastewater treatment works and system. If the municipality does not have enough water and electricity to treat Knysna’s waste, there is a very real possibility that the sewer plant may overflow – posing not only a health risk, but a threat to the sensitive estuary. With potable water being trucked to various areas within the municipal area, residents and visitors are reminded that level three water restrictions are being enforced throughout greater Knysna, with punitive tariffs in place for transgressors.

Butler explained that the municipality is not responsible for implementing load shedding or any changes to the schedule. “While we are responsible for providing access to electricity, Eskom is its sole supplier. If Eskom does not supply us with power, we cannot provide it to our residents. We understand that everyone finds these fickle changes frustrating, but Eskom sets the stage and schedule of load shedding and often only notifies us after these changes have been implemented.”

“Please continue to use water sparingly,” he concluded. “The drought is a local disaster and load shedding is a national crisis.

The two combined is having a compounded negative effect on our ability to provide potable water and the maintenance of crucial infrastructure.

Your cooperation is critical to us all making it through this very difficult time.