HANKEY – The Gamtoos Water Users’ Association has set the record straight after water from the Gamtoos Canal spilt into homes in Hankey in the Eastern Cape, on 16 September, forcing residents to take time off work to clean up wet carpets and mattresses after a pump failure caused the waterway to overflow.
According to an anonymous resident, the incident occurred on a partly cloudy morning, with rain beginning to fall after water had already entered the affected properties.
The resident said that after water entered the affected homes, they were informed that it was the Gamtoos Canal water pumps that caused the water spillage.
“There wasn’t any huge damage, just carpets and mattresses that were very wet,” the resident said.
“Some of the residents had to take the day off to move their furniture and clean up the mess.”
Rienette Colesky, CEO of the Gamtoos Water Association, said the situation had been exaggerated and blown out of proportion, while emphasising that no injuries were reported.
“Personally, I think the entire situation has been exaggerated. It has been handled,” said Colesky.
She explained that the spill occurred when a pump failed at an automatic sluice system.
“The pump failed. The chamber flooded, and the automatic sluice could not open or close, so it pushed water into the K Canal more than it could take, and it spilt.”
She further said that the affected section was a branch canal that services the Kleinrivier area, much smaller than the main canal system.
Colesky said that when the pump failure occurred, excess water could not be diverted to a scour canal due to the proximity of the Blinkdorp informal settlement.
“Because Blinkdorp has been extended to the perimeters of our canal, we redirect the water into the main canal because there is nowhere to pump it,” said Colesky.
She emphasised that the Kouga Municipality bears responsibility for allowing informal settlements to develop near critical water infrastructure.
Colesky further said that the Water Association recently removed an informal settlement built directly on the Hankey pipeline.
“The big question that should be asked is why the Kouga Municipality allows informal settlements to settle in high-risk areas,” said Colesky.
After the spillage on 16 September, she said that they responded immediately to assist affected families, providing 16 mattresses and food hampers to the four informal settlements impacted by the overflow.
“We have been on site from the moment that we became aware of the situation,” said Colesky.
She said that the Water Association maintains early warning systems across the entire network from Kouga Dam to the Loerie to monitor water levels and prevent such incidents.
Colesky further said that the association is now installing additional monitoring equipment, having purchased two data loggers for the K Canal to better track water levels in the area.
She said that two water control officers are stationed next to the canal, with one located at the main canal and the other at the K Canal, to prevent and mitigate incidents like the one that occurred on 16 September.
While this was an unprecedented event, Colesky assured that proper safety measures are typically in place and that education programmes are ongoing throughout the valley, including visits to 11 schools to warn learners about the dangers of swimming in canal systems.
Kouga Municipality Deputy Executive Mayor, Timothy Jantjes, said that the municipality is currently in the process of formalising the Blinkdorp informal settlement.
“The necessary authorisations were received for formalisation of the township,” said Jantjes.
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