Water the tie that binds Eastern Cape community

Abstract

CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT A t first glance the Kat River Valley might seem just another sleepy farming community. Situated northeast of Grahamstown in the old Ciskei in the foothills of the Winterberg and the Amatole Mountains, the Kat River Catchment is about 80 km in length, and covers an area of about 1 715 km2. Agriculture is the main activity here. The majority of commercially irrigated farmland is used for citrus production for export, which occurs on the flat river terraces throughout the catchment. Also practiced are stock and game farming in the lower reaches to the upper reaches, and small-scale community farming. There are several small towns in the catchment, the largest being Fort Beaufort. The Kat Dam is the main primary bulk water infrastructure, and is situated in the north of the catchment at the town of Seymour. Outside of the towns, few of the villages have access to potable water and where communal or yard taps have been provided water supply is erratic at best.

Authors

Categories