FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 1082
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER:Â 04 SEPTEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 14)
1082.  Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and
Environmental Affairs:
Whether any plans are in place to ensure an adequate and sustainable
supply of water for (a) irrigation and (b) domestic use to the
Pearston area within the Blue Crane Route Municipality; if not, what
is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what plans and (b) when
will it be implemented?                   NW1343E
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REPLY:
(1)(a) There is no plan to develop any commercial irrigation at
Pearston. However, in a report finalised by the Department in
October 2005 looking into possible domestic water resources for
the town, My Department looked at the possibility of including
about 10 hectares of market gardens at the town, under
irrigation.Â
(1)(b) A number of possible resources for domestic use were
identified in the October 2005 report. Further investigations
are now necessary to take the identified possibilities to the
feasibility level. Much of this will entail groundwater drilling
and testing.
(2)(a) My Department is presently busy with a study called the âAll
Towns Reconciliation Strategy Studyâ, which will take a first-
level look at which resources should be developed for each of
the 134 identified towns and 2600 rural villages in the Eastern
Cape. The results of this study will be a definite way forward
regarding which resources the WSA must study or develop next for
each town. A stand-alone report will be produced for each town,
including Pearston, and the recommendations at the end of the
report, which will set out the way forward, will be signed off
by the Water Service Authority and the Department. This report
actually covers the entire country, and is due for completion
towards at the end of 2011
(2)(b) Once the reconciliation studies have been completed, the Water
Services Authority will develop the implementation plan
accordingly.