Crocodile River runs dry

2003-11-27 14:56

Cobus Coetzee & Sizwe samaYende

Nelspruit - Farmers may not pump water from the Crocodile River to irrigate their crops until next week Monday.

The Crocodile River Major Irrigation Board (CRMIB) imposed the ban after the river, one of the major rivers in the area, stopped flowing along its lower reaches in Mpumalanga.

From Monday, farmers will be allowed to draw water from the river for 20 hours a week.

The CRMIB is an extension of the department of water affairs and forestry, and is responsible for the management of water in the river.

"The extreme high temperatures over the last couple of days has had a detrimental effect on the flow of the river," said CRMIB spokesperson Ronelle Putter.

This is the second season that parts of the river runs dry.

This week, the river stopped flowing along its course in the Tenbosch area east of Nelspruit, just a few kilometres from where it enters Mozambique.

Putter said the CRMIB was concerned that the river will run completely dry if there isn't enough rain before January.

The Kwena Dam along the Crocodile River dropped to 22% this week.

Other drought-stricken areas in Mpumalanga's Lowveld include the town of White River and the provincial capital Nelspruit, which fall within the Mbombela municipality.

Water usage in and around Nelspruit was restricted to 20% last week, while residents in neighbouring White River have had to deal with water restrictions since February.

Mbombela council authorities have totally banned the watering of gardens and parks, as well as the use of boreholes and hosepipes.

Mbombela spokesperson Delia Oosthuizen warned that the Longmere, Klipkopje and Witklip dams would be empty by the end of January if insufficient rain falls.

- African Eye