R20m promised to relieve water crisis in Knysna

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has pledged R20 million in emergency relief funding to address Knysna’s escalating water crisis.

The pledge followed a two-day working visit to the Garden Route town, where officials assessed the severity of the situation and developed urgent intervention measures.

The municipality’s Akkerkloof Dam, the primary storage facility serving greater Knysna, currently holds approximately 18% of its capacity.

This translates to “an estimated 15 days of usable water at present consumption levels”, according to the municipality.

The crisis stems from severe localised drought affecting the Western Cape’s Garden Route belt, compounded by what officials describe as long-term infrastructure neglect, high non-revenue water losses and ongoing vandalism.

Years in the making

While the current low dam levels have made the crisis apparent, the situation has been developing since 2023.

Technical teams from the Department of Water and Sanitation and municipality conducted assessments revealing that sufficient water resources exist to meet Knysna’s needs.

However, the teams found that decades of poor infrastructure management have created the current emergency.

“For decades the municipality has not implemented sound water infrastructure asset management and has neglected the maintenance and upgrading of its water and sanitation infrastructure,” a joint statement released on Sunday reads.

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Disaster declaration and emergency response

Majodina supported the municipality’s decision to classify Knysna as a disaster area.

She endorsed the request for the Western Cape provincial government to issue a provincial disaster declaration.

“The request to the Western Cape provincial government to also declare Knysna a disaster area will allow the government to reprioritise resources and personnel from various sectors to address the situation.

“It will also assist the government to have a coordinated and comprehensive approach and response to the water crisis,” said Majodina.

The emergency relief allocation of R20 million will be drawn from reprioritised water services infrastructure grants.

“DWS will avail an emergency relief allocation of R20 million from reprioritised water services infrastructure grants to Knysna municipality, together with the provision of technical capacity, aimed st developing groundwater resources to alleviate the current strain placed on available surface water resources in the Knysna water supply system,” the minister said.

Beyond immediate relief, the department is providing technical engineering expertise to assess the Knysna desalination plant and confirm its refurbishment requirements.

Funding has also been allocated for feasibility studies examining a new small local dam to address longer-term water security needs.

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Addressing infrastructure failures

While announcing the support package, Majodina challenged the municipality to tackle fundamental management issues contributing to the crisis.

The minister encouraged Knysna municipality to explore alternative water sources including groundwater, seawater desalination and water reuse to reduce dependence on surface water.

“Furthermore, Majodina condemned the vandalism of infrastructure and urged Knysna municipality to deal decisively with it,” the statement said.

This emergency allocation supplements previous departmental support.

The department allocated R12.4 million during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years and R7 million for 2025-26 through its water services infrastructure grant for rehabilitation of existing water networks, water conservation and demand management initiatives.

Community and business engagement

Majodina held extensive consultations with diverse groups across Knysna to assess the full extent of the challenges and build consensus on solutions.

The Knysna Business Chamber pledged to mobilise retired technical experts to contribute to resolving the crisis.

Mayor Thando Matika welcomed the intervention.

“We welcome and appreciate the decisive intervention and commitment demonstrated by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, in availing special emergency relief funding and technical support to address the municipality’s water challenges,” he said.