Greater Knysna was declared a local disaster area.
The town made this latest Council decision public, on Friday afternoon, after a maximum of about 50mm of rainfall on Thursday evening into Friday.
Thando Matika, Mayor of Knysna, said the area was declared according to the Disaster Management Act, Act 57 of 2002.
“This allows for much -needed national and provincial interventions. It also allows the Mayor to authorise unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure in emergency or exceptional circumstances for which no provision was made in the approved budget.”
Matika also said the Garden Route District Disaster Management Centre will work with the Knysna Local Disaster Management Unit, to coordinate the short- and medium-term interventions required to address the crisis.
The Department of Agriculture will also conduct an urgent assessment report on areas impacted by the drought.
Several augmentation projects underway, within the next two weeks, will cost the town R58 million.
They include the development of the Bigai and Bongani springs and refurbishing seven existing boreholes, to provide a combined yield of approximately 3,2 megalitres per day.
An additional seven new boreholes will be drilled, to provide an anticipated yield of an additional 2,7 megalitres per day.
Marula added “we are concluding an agreement with PG Bison, which has offered access to additional boreholes with an estimated yield of 3 megalitres per day. Once fully implemented, the total expected yield from all current augmentation initiatives equates approximately 11 megalitres of potable water per day.”
As of Friday, the main dam supply of the town, is at an estimated 15% capacity.
Picture: Supplied