Science helps Eastern Cape village deal with future disasters

Abstract

People and water Situated in the Eastern Cape hinterland, the rural area of Calais likely to experience severe drought every ten to twenty years. Most of the villages in the area are served by groundwater, and are susceptible to seasonal drought (when springs dry up). When this occurs the municipality pumps or trucks water to tanks scattered around the village, however, when this is not done regularly or when insufficient water is pumped, the effects of drought are felt more frequently and severely, as has occurred in the last five to ten years. The situation has been found to be worst in the village of Tsengiwe, which receives its water from three springs (the latest two of which were brought on line in November last year). Water is stored in a large tank and transported through pipelines to a series of standpipes. Each of these taps is shared by up to 40 households. When the springs run dry the municipality fills the water tank manually by truck, however the two available trucks have found to be insufficient to feed the present water demand.

Authors

Categories