The eastern region of the Eastern Cape features various nodes where good surface water resources combine with a well-developed system of purification plants and bulk water supply networks. These allow for provision of water services of a standard that contrasts with that in the province's rural territories, where water treatment and supply facilities remain underdeveloped.

The Buffalo City area, encompassing East London, various adjacent coastal and inland settlements, and King William's Town, is fortunate in that it is located in a region with good water infrastructure. This is due to the existence of dams and related water pipelines, tunnels and canals in nearby catchment basins, as well as a network of prominent rivers. Principal water resources found within Buffalo City and environs include the Kubusie, Buffalo and Nahoon rivers, which combine through a transfer scheme to form the Amatole System. The region has a number of sizeable dams, including the Nahoon, Bridledrift, Laing, Rooikrantz, Maden and Wriggleswade, creating a series of surface water storage facilities close to the populated and industrialised East London-King William's Town node.

In addition to direct supply from dams on the Buffalo and Nahoon rivers, Buffalo City's raw water supply is enhanced through additional supply flexibility provided via access to stored surface water at the Wriggleswade Dam, situated inland on the Kubusie River, near Stutterheim. Further afield, water supply in the region is also provided through Gubu Dam (also on the Kubusie River), Sandile Dam (on the Keiskamma River) and Binfield Park Dam (on the Tyume River). A transfer scheme at Wriggleswade Dam permits water to be conveyed into either the Buffalo or Nahoon river basins by means of a tunnel, canal and river linkage system. This water transfer flexibility created within the Amatole System allows the supply of raw water to the urban areas of East London, Gonubie, Beacon Bay, King William's Town and Newlands to be supplemented during drought periods with water sourced from the Wriggleswade Dam.

The water transfer capability allows for better water resource management, especially in times of drought and flood, and also creates regional flexibilities allowing for the accommodation of new industrial water demand as well as growing water consumption linked to population growth and water services extension. The Amatole System currently serves a variety of industries and approximately 790 000 people living within the greater Buffalo City urban nodes and in villages and surrounding rural communities. In addition, water is obtained from the Amatole System to supply various outlying local municipalities within the Amatole District Municipality.

Beyond the boundaries of Buffalo City, well-developed potable water supply networks also exist for the delivery of treated water to a number of important regional centres. These include Grahamstown to the west, Queenstown to the north and Umtata to the east, as well as to several other, smaller towns and settlements. Regional water supply schemes have also been created in the densely populated eastern areas, servicing large numbers of people via communal water supply 'stand-pipes'. Groundwater and rainwater harvesting is widely resorted to for water provision in smaller, outlying villages because borehole yields tend generally to be low. There remains a great need for formal water services to be developed and extended to rural areas, utilising surface water resources and new pipeline networks.

Although major urban and industrial centres within the region are assured of a relatively secure water supply for current requirements as well as for meeting the needs of the immediate future, the management and development of the water resources overall pose an immense challenge. A situation assessment of Eastern Cape water resources issued by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry projects substantial growth in provincial water demand by 2015, based on 1995 data of the water requirements of urban and rural domestic and industrial consumers. The research indicated that the whole of the Eastern Cape would have a total domestic and industrial water requirement of 605 million cubic metres per annum by 2015 (or more than double the 1995 requirement of 273 million cubic metres per annum). The eastern portion is expected to show the greatest rate of increase in water services demand, with the Amatole district existing as a prominent contributor to the upsurge in demand. Its total domestic and industrial water requirement was expected to more than double from its 1995 level to reach a total demand of some 212 million cubic metres per annum by 2015, in terms of published studies. However, latest demographic models being employed to track and project future water demand suggests that levels may not escalate as rapidly as originally projected (especially in rural areas) because of the impact of HIV/Aids on population growth rates.

The bulk water infrastructure serving the urban populations of Buffalo City itself has been projected to be adequate for meeting anticipated raw water demand until at least 2008 and more likely till about 2012 in the light of the results of improved and extended demand management initiatives. The projections make provision for known industrial development in the region. Due to affect this projection is the impact of HIV/Aids on total water demand, with one study expecting that the date by which major augmentation of the resource will become necessary could possibly be postponed until as late as 2022. Looking further ahead, planners have identified a number of potential augmentation scheme options that could see additional raw water supply being derived from the Sandile Dam or from schemes on the Nahoon, Gqunube or Kwelera rivers.

Although the raw water supply outlook is satisfactory for the foreseeable future, additional water purification capacity is needed in the shorter term to augment potable water production and supply, particularly to the upper Buffalo area as well as to meet the needs of East London. This is receiving attention by various water sector institutions. These include the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Buffalo City Municipality, Amatole District Municipality and Amatola Water Board (the latter established by government in 1997 to operate and manage bulk water supply and provide potable water services to the local and district municipalities). Buffalo City Municipality and Amatole District Municipality have both been assigned Water Service Authority status with effect from mid-2003.

In East London's planned IDZ (which will be fully reticulated), the bulk potable water supply to the West Bank will be drawn from the municipality's Umzoniana Water Treatment Works. Additional sources of supply may have to be developed at a later stage to serve some of the outlying areas, which are at present supplied from Umzoniana. Treated water is conveyed from Umzoniana to the West Bank via two separate supply systems. There are also a number of possible sources for obtaining a supply of industrial water, should there be a need for such a supply, with the source dependent on the qualities and quantities of industrial water required. If there is an adequate demand for recycled effluent, the IDZ authority would provide the necessary storage and distribution system to convey this to the industries requiring such a supply. Sewage and wastewater will be disposed of using the marine outfall.

Forward planning of water resources development has been given additional momentum by a requirement of the Water Services Act of 1997, which obligates all water services institutions to consider, produce and submit formal Water Services Development Plans (WSDP) to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. This process-part of a wider, integrated development planning process-is under way and can be expected to have a beneficial impact on the planning of future water supply in the region. Various other institutions are also now reportedly finalising WSDPs and the products of these efforts can be expected to have a beneficial impact on such planning. As a statutory water board in the region, Amatola Water is also making progress with its development of an Infrastructure Master Plan that will focus on the anticipated infrastructural needs of water resources over a 20-year period. This initiative will be closely informed by the WSDPs generated by the region's various water services institutions with a view to developing an integrated and comprehensive master planning instrument for addressing foreseeable water resources needs.

Services development
Augmentation of water treatment capacity within the Amatole System is being planned in conjunction with a wider services development programme aimed at improving the social wellbeing and economic potential of urban and rural communities throughout the region. Many rural settlements currently have only rudimentary water supply facilities or have access to potable water supply that falls below the minimum quality or quantity standards set by government.

Since its commencement of trading in 1998, Amatola Water has worked to improve and extend water services in the region through a systematic services upgrade programme, seeking to optimise the cost and operational efficiency of water treatment plants transferred to the board by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Amatola Water operates 12 water treatment plants with an installed capacity of approximately 106 million litres per day. This amounts to close to half the total installed bulk water supply capacity existing within the Amatole District Municipality-with most of the remainder being offered directly by Buffalo City Municipality, the only other substantial bulk water services provider.

In the financial year July 2001 to June 2002, Amatola Water supplied a total of 19,8 million cubic metres of potable water and 6,2 million cubic metres of untreated water to various local authority customers and to the Amatole District Municipality. Local municipalities that derive bulk potable water from Amatola Water include East London and King William's Town (united as Buffalo City), Stutterheim, Kei Road and Keiskammahoek (forming Amahlati Municipality), Peddie and Hamburg (Ngqushwa Municipality) and Alice and Middledrift (Nkonkobe Municipality). At the time of its formation, the services region of Amatola Water was some 11 000 square kilometres in extent and located entirely within the boundaries of the Amatole district, but a state proclamation in 2000 extended and quadrupled the services territory. (See map.) The expanded region in which Amatola Water is authorised to develop or undertake bulk water supply to water services institutions of local authorities is some 45 794 square kilometres in size. The area now covers most of the Amatole and Chris Hani districts as well as portions of the adjacent Ukhahlamba and Cacadu districts.

In comparison with the western portion of the province, most eastern districts (including that of Amatole) continue to face a major task in establishing delivery of formal water services, particularly for smaller, rural settlements. The level of access to formal water supplies varies considerably throughout the region and many villages await the extension of potable water reticulation. The eastern portion of the province has a high population density. This factor, coupled with the absence of formal wastewater and sanitation services and facilities in many rural villages, plus the impact of major industry in urban areas, places pressure on water resources and negatively affects the maintenance of water quality and the natural environment. South African regulatory controls, however, are seeking to ensure that environmental impacts are considered and contained and that polluting offenders carry the cost of their impacts.

In recognition of this broad intent, Amatola Water's Scientific Services Department offers to both local authorities and major industry a range of services in water quality sampling and testing from its laboratory facilities situated at the Nahoon Dam regional complex near East London. The facility comprises analytical and microbiological laboratories, with dedicated water quality test equipment and trained personnel. The intention is that the laboratories will be used widely by public and private organisations to monitor the quality of water returned to the water system. This will assist in ensuring and demonstrating adherence to environmental regulations and compliance with current and emerging safety, health and environmental legislation and standards.

Material written by CopyWrite 2003

Courtesy of Focus on Buffalo City 2003/2004, a printed promotional publication published by Norma Beyl & Associates and available at: