The Knysna municipality will review its level 4 water restrictions once the Akkerkloof Dam reaches 60% capacity, with the milestone expected within the coming week after the dam recovered to 54.7%.
The announcement on Monday follows months of water restrictions and intermittent outages caused by critically low water levels, as the popular Garden Route tourism town grappled with supply challenges ahead of the holiday season.
Since January, the dam had remained below 50% capacity.
Mayor Thando Matika previously attributed the low levels to prolonged drought and failures at the Charlesford Pumping Scheme, where pumps had to be replaced.
Acting municipal manager Boy Ngubo said the recent improvement had been driven by the successful operation of the Charlesford Pumping Scheme, which was supplying sufficient water to both the Akkerkloof Dam and the Knysna Water Treatment Works.
“The recovery has been further supported by the healthy yield from the Knysna River abstraction point and the absence of any major mechanical failures over the past month,” Ngubo said.
Despite the improving outlook, Matika urged residents, businesses and visitors to continue using water sparingly until the municipality formally announced any changes to the restrictions.
“While we are optimistic that the dam will reach the 60% mark within the next week, we cannot afford to become complacent.
“Every litre of water saved today strengthens our resilience for tomorrow,” he said.
Meanwhile, the municipality has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vodacom to introduce a digital platform known as Water Tower.
It will provide residents with real-time information on household and municipal water consumption.
The system is currently being piloted in Tshwane, with the launch date for Knysna yet to be announced.
Ngubo said progress was also being made on the municipality’s borehole exploration programme, with engineering work under way to connect newly developed boreholes to the municipal water network.
In addition, the department of local government has appointed a professional service provider to assist the municipality through the strengthened Section 154 intervention.
It aims to improve wastewater infrastructure and overall service delivery.
Knysna has also faced longstanding sewage spillages that have polluted parts of its lagoon system and contributed to high E.coli levels, resulting in the cancellation of some events during this year’s Oakhill Water Chukka Festival.
Matika said the municipality was making steady progress in addressing sewer spillages across the municipal area.
The municipality has recently appointed additional casual workers to strengthen the roads and stormwater department.
The expanded teams are repairing potholes and cleaning stormwater infrastructure across all municipal areas to improve road safety and drainage.
The restoration of streetlights also continues, with repair teams working across the municipality to improve visibility and enhance public safety.
The municipality has expressed concern over the recent increase in vandalism targeting municipal infrastructure.
“Protecting municipal infrastructure is a shared responsibility,” Matika said.
“Every act of vandalism diverts resources away from service delivery and negatively affects our communities.
“We appreciate residents who continue to report these incidents and encourage everyone to help safeguard the infrastructure that belongs to us all.”
“Our focus remains on delivering reliable services, strengthening our infrastructure and building a municipality that is resilient, sustainable and responsive to the needs of its people.
“While challenges remain, the progress being made demonstrates what can be achieved through partnership, sound planning and the continued support of our communities.”
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