We are worried about the deepening water crisis in the community and the lack of awareness surrounding this crisis. We do not want to blame individuals, organisations, municipalities or the government for this situation, but need to seek solutions, both short term and long term.

Water is essential! Water is the basis of life.  Furthermore, water is the basis of a lot of businesses in and around Queenstown (e.g. Twizza, Star Bakery, QueensCasino, PicknPay and more) and therefore the basis for employment and development in our community. The ongoing water restrictions are limiting new investments, and the existing businesses may have to decrease their production or close, resulting in a rise in unemployment and poverty in our area, which will affect us all.

The fact is Queenstown is consuming more water than it has! Due to the current drought situation and a below average rainfall cycle, the Bonkolo Dam has been closed.  This means that all the water that Queenstown is currently using is supplied by the Waterdown Dam. The Waterdown Dam’s pipes were not designed to supply the volumes of water currently being used.  Furthermore, these pipes are 50 years old, and should they burst as a result of excessive volumes of water being pumped, the water supply to Queenstown will cease!  Not be shut off for a few hours, or the night, but indefinitely!  The Bonkolo Dam would then be reopened but it has no more than a month’s supply of water at most. The repair on a pipe burst on the Waterdown Dam could take up to two months to repair.

Our problem in Queenstown is therefore twofold – we are using too much water AND we have no backup if we have a pipe burst on the Waterdown Dam pipeline. Our solution is also twofold- we need to reduce our water consumption in the short term AND we need to supplement our water supply from Xonxa Dam.

This is a critical situation and it has to change. Not in 20 years, not in 10 years, NOW!

A Water Crisis Committee, championed by Chris Hani, and comprising of BKCOB, Lukhanji Municipality, Dept. of Human Settlements, DWA, DEDEA and the appointed Engineers has been established. They have identified the Xonxa Dam project to be a project requiring urgent attention. This project envisages the construction of a pipeline from Xonxa Dam to Queenstown. It will also supply the Machibini villages and Ilinge township with a constant water supply. Government, Business and the Community need to drive this project so that the pipeline from the Xonxa Dam to Queenstown becomes a reality as soon as possible. It is currently estimated that this project will cost approximately R250 million and be completed in 2013. The Water Crisis Committee feels that this project needs to be expedited and completed as a matter of urgency. It is possible to have this project completed by the end of 2011.

The Water Crisis Committee urges all in Queenstown community to conserve water whenever and wherever possible. The Xonxa Dam project is a long term goal that we need to drive, but we need to take immediate steps in order to avert disaster now. A culture of water saving needs to be developed.

It is time to wake up!