Helping Knysna Help Itself
The Western Cape Government has stated it is committed to helping Knysna Municipality help itself before considering placing the municipality under administration.
This comes amidst mounting pressure from residents on the provincial government to take over the running of the town after months of inadequate and failed service delivery that have plagued the Knysna municipal area.
Water and sewage
While water problems are not a new phenomenon, the issues surrounding the supply of water worsened in November after a man’s body was found in the Khayalethu reservoir.
The man’s body had been in the reservoir for days by the time it was found on 27 November. This meant the reservoir had to be emptied and the entire system flushed, which meant a total of four reservoirs had to be drained and scrubbed clean.
These service delivery issues are varied, ranging from a lack of water for as long as a week, raw sewage spills and the seemingly never-ending problem with refuse removal in the town. This was a lengthy process and left residents supplied by these reservoirs without any form of potable water.
Service providers were roped in to supply water to the areas in need, with even Gift of the Givers stepping in to assist.
However, even before that, reservoirs had been regularly running dry, with water trucks the only alternative.
Sewage spills became a problem throughout the town in late November/early December, right at the start of the festive season, impacting local businesses. After being given a two-week notice by the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning to resolve the sewage issue, Knysna Municipality managed to bring this issue under control in December.
Refuse removal
However, the bane of the town’s existence is the persistent refuse removal issue, that was eventually addressed when the mountain of rubbish at the waste transfer station was cleared earlier this month.
The municipality was unable to handle refuse removal due to persistent problems plaguing the refuse truck fleet.
At one point, less than half of the fleet was available for use.
This led to mounting pressure on the waster transfer station, because while the waste could be brought to site, it could not be hauled away as the long distance trucks were not fit for use.
The refuse that remained at the station proved a nauseating issue, as the smell would often waft into town.
The municipality received much-needed help from George Municipality as well as the Western Cape Government to clear up the mess.