Aquifers are not bottomless
Is Cape Town gambling with the future of one of the world’s
most unique ecosystems as it pushes ahead with drilling for
groundwater from the Table Mountain Group (TMG) Aquifer?
By Aletta Harrison
A document compiled by a group of experts points to the devastating effects that
groundwater abstraction has had on ecosystems elsewhere in the world.
A
group of environmental
scientists has raised concerns
over drilling operations in the
vicinity of the Steenbras Dam, a nature
reserve, and part of the Kogelberg
Biosphere Reserve. The area is one of
several sites in the Cape Floral Region
that enjoy protection owing to the great
number of endemic and rare species
that occur within it.
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The TMG Aquifer has been identified
as a valuable resource — along with
the Cape Flats and Atlantis aquifers
— as the City of Cape Town scrambles
to bring alternative water sources
online. The City estimates that the
TMG Aquifer can yield 25–60-million
litres a day.
Mayoral committee member for
informal settlements, water and waste
Water Sewage & Effluent March/April 2018
services, councillor Xanthea Limberg,
confirms that no environmental
impact assessments (EIAs) were
done prior to the commencement
of drilling, but said that none were
required under the licence conditions.
Permissions were granted by the
national Department of Water and
Sanitation (DWS) and the Department
of Environmental Affairs (DEA).