There’s a water crisis in Knysna. According to residents, they had to queue at water tankers to get water this week after the main pump for domestic water broke. The emergency back-up supply pumps are also out of order. Some of the residents reportedly protested about the water problems this week.
“All trucks are disinfected as a precautionary measure.”
Gift of the Givers sends emergency water supplies to Knysna
The aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, was also on the Southern Cape coast to assist. According to spokesperson Ali Sablay, they had received desperate calls for assistance from community leaders as reportedly 9 of 11 wards had no or limited access to water supplies. He says some communities indicated that some areas had no access to water for up to 4 weeks. At that time, Gift of the Givers deployed 2 water tankers from the Eastern Cape. They also urgently delivered 5,000 bottles of water en route from Cape Town to health clinics, schools, and old age homes around the Knysna area.
A water crisis in Knysna
Meanwhile, a joint statement by the Knysna Municipality, Garden Route District Municipality, and Western Cape Government at 21:45 pm last night stated that water tankers continue to operate across Knysna daily, delivering much-needed water to communities.
A prototype water delivery schedule
According to the statement, a prototype water delivery schedule was introduced. The schedule excludes Rheenendal at this stage and categorizes areas into reservoir zones, with each zone allocated a dedicated tanker identified by its registration number. It further states that tankers operate exclusively within their designated zones. At the same time, drivers are instructed to report to the Knysna Fire Station when departing a zone. This allows for pre-notification for residents in the next area.
“Based on operational assessments from today’s rollout, more trucks will be deployed tomorrow and reassigned as needed. “
TANKER OPERATIONS BY ZONE (an official u-pdate)
* Zone 1: Knysna Heights, Paradise
* Zone 2: Upper and Lower Old Place, Lower Industrial, Hunters Home, Rexford
* Zone 3: Fisher Haven
* Zone 4: Leisure Isle
* Zone 5: White Location, Flenters, Rhobololo, Qolweni, Greenfields, Jood-se-Kamp, Thembeni
* Zone 6: Concordia East and West, Dinangwe, Endlovini, Victor Molosi area
* Zone 7: Khayalethu, Bongani
* Zone 8: Dam-se-Bos North (7de Laan), Dam-se-Bos, Hlalani, Oupad, Nekkies East, Nekkies West (Kaalkol)
* Zone 9: Ward 11 of Hornlee
STATUS OF REPAIRS
In Rheenendal, the pumps are fully operational. Additional water volumes will be trucked into the area on Friday to enhance output at the treatment works. With continued overnight pumping, system stability is anticipated by Friday. In Knysna, the installation of replacement pumps is scheduled for Saturday, 17 May 2025. It is expected to take 2–3 days thereafter for the system to stabilize fully.
ROLE PLAYERS IN THE JOINT OPERATIONS CENTRE (JOC)
The Knysna Municipality Joint Operations Centre includes representation from:
* Western Cape Government
* Garden Route District Municipality Disaster Management
* Knysna SAPS
* Knysna Infrastructure Group
* The Greater Knysna Business Chamber
* Law Enforcement
* Traffic Services
* Fire & Rescue Services
* West Coast District Municipality
* Gift of the Givers
* AfriForum
