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dam-l Union statement on SA dam/LS

The South African Municipal Workers' Union supports the call made by the
Environmental Monitoring Group, Earthlife Africa Cape Town Branch, Wildlife
Environment Society of Southern Africa and the South African Rivers
Association opposing the recent decision
to go ahead with the Skuifraam Dam in the Franschhoek
Valley.

It is SAMWU's position that there will be a drastic increase in water
tariffs as a direct result of this project that will hit the poor of Cape
Town, who are battling to pay for water, very very hard. The union also
feels that if water is so scarce in Cape Town, then water restrictions
should be imposed on the rich who regularly use thousands of litres of water
for their gardens and swimming pools.

The only solution to what is according to the Department of Water Affairs
and Foresty, a water crisis, is to introduce a pricing system whereby a
lifeline amount of 50 litres water is given to every person every day free
of charge. Any amount of water above this amount that is used should be
charged according to a rising block tariff whereby the people who are really
guilty of massive water wastage will pay for this.

SAMWU agrees with the environmental NGO's that before any capital intensive
major dam building project is considered, the Department of Water Affairs
and Forestry must both introduce a water demand management programme for the
entire province that will reduce the amount of water used; and look more at
budgetting properly to extend and maintain existing infrastructure so that
less water is lost through leaking pipes, and more delivered to the people.

For more comment, please contact Lance Veotte on 021 6971153




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Liane Greeff, Project Manager: NGO Liaison with, and Monitoring of the WCD
Environmental Monitoring Group, PO Box 18977, Wynberg, South Africa, 7824
E-mail: liane@kingsley.co.za Tel: +27 +21 7610549/788 2473 Fax: 762 2238
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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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