[OPINION] Cape Town, a city drowning in incompetence | Daily Maverick

[Archer]

forgetting the massive developments , golf estates and such, that have been popping up everywhere...and accompanying infrastructure have not increased to cater for the increase of usage. Myriad of factors contributing to the city now heading to a day of fokkol water.

Woopsie, you seem to have forgotten that water usage is more or less the same as it was in 2003 when the population was half the size. But yes, there are multiple reasons for todays SNAFU

 

[Kloofvreter]

forgetting the massive developments , golf estates and such, that have been popping up everywhere...and accompanying infrastructure have not increased to cater for the increase of usage. Myriad of factors contributing to the city now heading to a day of fokkol water.

Well yes, if development continues at this rate, we will no longer need cars, because they will be useless. Development in Brackenfell in the Cape Town Northern Suburbs is insane. Brackenfell Boulevard is now pretty much a disaster. Even building 500 new flats where the old milk farm used to be in Vredekloof....WTF. It's a single lane road. Where the hell are there people going to drive?

 

[Temujin]

Are they making plans to prevent this from happening again?

No

I posted this in other thread, old doc(2015), long read but shows just how humped we are in the big picture... https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6fMdg0R3pcubTBvN0gzeWRsTk0/view

 

[Archer]

No

So the water projects currently underway are a lie?

 

[yebocan]

Well yes, if development continues at this rate, we will no longer need cars, because they will be useless. Development in Brackenfell in the Cape Town Northern Suburbs is insane. Brackenfell Boulevard is now pretty much a disaster. Even building 500 new flats where the old milk farm used to be in Vredekloof....WTF. It's a single lane road. Where the hell are there people going to drive?

Just ask people other side of the mountain, Noord Hoek, Kommetjie... - what a hell traffic is due to infrastructure not keep pace with development. Seems it is a case of not really understanding what impact development has on infrastructure...or a case of , oh well...will deal with that when it becomes a problem.

 

[Kloofvreter]

Just ask people other side of the mountain, Noord Hoek, Kommetjie... - what a hell traffic is due to infrastructure not keep pace with development. Seems it is a case of not really understanding what impact development has on infrastructure...or a case of , oh well...will deal with that when it becomes a problem.

Yeah, I drove Ou Kaapse weg one Sunday about 2 months ago. Perhaps it's normal traffic for a Sunday because of the nice weather that day, but it was pretty much how I assume rush hour would be there. And I still got a traffic fine for driving 80km/h....maintaining the same speed as everyone else :erm:

 

[Temujin]

So the water projects currently underway are a lie?

You mean the current cadre tenderpreneur loot fronts where everything is drawn out to miss deadlines by decades and over priced 10000x at every given opportunity... yeah, that'll save the country

 

[Flojo]

 

[Archer]

Apologies for the double post

Edit post -> delete

 

[konfab]

Water infrastructure is run nationally, not much the DA can do about it. Locally they are responsible for distribution even though a lot of the Acts governing it is promulgated at national level. We actually require a national plan for water in SA. Currently the ANC is paralyzed and not much is happening.

The first step that must happen right now is to fire Nomvula Mokonyane.

First step should be that the Western Cape should declare independence as the National government has not fulfilled its obligation under the constitution to provide bulk water.

:twisted:

 

[Archer]

You mean the current cadre tenderpreneur loot fronts where everything is drawn out to miss deadlines by decades and over priced 10000x at every given opportunity... yeah, that'll save the country

Ten minutes ago nothing was done, now it is being done but apparently it's all back hand deals. The city is even going to save the whole country while they are at it. Shew, it is hard to keep up with all these exciting developments!

 

[Pitbull]

View attachment 492600

See the date

So the prediction was due to population growth, not drought. But yes I agree, it's probably a combination of issues. But the Drought being the biggest factor I would say.

 

[Temujin]

Ten minutes ago nothing was done, now it is being done but apparently it's all back hand deals. The city is even going to save the whole country while they are at it. Shew, it is hard to keep up with all these exciting developments!

Oh wait sorry, we're on different trains, my original response was a follow on from my post think where I was talking national, but did already say wc will be the only place with a supply once they have completed with their plans, the 'no' was for the rest of the country that will be ****ed... I should have been clearer

 

[Archer]

Oh wait sorry, we're on different trains, my original response was a follow on from my post think where I was talking national, but did already say wc will be the only place with a supply once they have completed with their plans, the 'no' was for the rest of the country that will be ****ed... I should have been clearer

Ah alrighty, that makes more sense then.

 

[Kosmik]

First step should be that the Western Cape should declare independence as the National government has not fulfilled its obligation under the constitution to provide bulk water.

:twisted:

And where would the water come from then? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't most water from WCP pumped there from elsewhere?

 

[sox63]

Shouldn't there be an "opinion" tag on this post?

 

[MrGray]

Water infrastructure is run nationally, not much the DA can do about it. Locally they are responsible for distribution even though a lot of the Acts governing it is promulgated at national level. We actually require a national plan for water in SA. Currently the ANC is paralyzed and not much is happening.

The first step that must happen right now is to fire Nomvula Mokonyane.

And yet, as I understand it, it is the city that is implementing many of the emergency measures such as supplementing from the aquifer.

As far as I know, large infrastructure that is not specific to a municipal area (such as dams/rivers) is certainly the national government's responsibility, but within the municipal area the processing of waste water, reservoirs, distribution, etc is a municipal function. Of course the national government dropped the ball, but so did the DA as they should know better than anyone else how dysfunctional that is and as custodians of the well being of 4 million people contingencies should have been over-engineered for. Almost 20 years ago there were warnings, and you would think that scenarios including multi-year drought with the added dimension of an incompetent national department should have been considered.

It's all academic at this point anyway. Assigning blame will not create water. I don't think a lot of people have quite understood the gravity of the situation. For one thing, we can expect the sewerage system to pack up within weeks (and it could take months, if not years to clear even when there is water again). Regardless of who is to blame, the DA will be done for once their core traditional support base is forced to dig pit latrines in their back garden just to take a dump.... for months.

 

[access]

there have been predictions of a water problems in the western cape for a good couple of years now, its been in the news on tv, radio, papers, talk shows and even carte blanche.

this low rainfall is just that bit that was needed to push us over the edge, as was mentioned in these pieces too. the rainfall lowering due to world climate events was well mentioned many times.

also, it is near impossible(unless forced) for the water usage to remain the same in the area with the increase in population/development, if you believe the water consumption stayed pretty much the same, you will believe anything.

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Regardless of who is to blame, the DA will be done for once their core traditional support base is forced to dig pit latrines in their back garden just to take a dump.... for months.

:crylaugh: ain't that the truth!

/remembers I live in Cape Town

 

[Vrotappel]

First step should be that the Western Cape should declare independence as the National government has not fulfilled its obligation under the constitution to provide bulk water.

:twisted:

Then they'll get another 10 million refugees.