Bettysbaai in nood / Betty’s Bay in the ICU?

(Links to files at the bottom of the page. English text below—Ed.)

Ek is diep bekommerd.
Ons lees met onsteltenis van die instroming van mense na die Overberg en ook na Kleinmond. Ook hier in die Kogelberg – Bettysbaai, Pringlebaai en Rooiels - word talle nuwe huise gebou en word bestaande huise vergroot. Die vraag is nou: Is ons munisipale owerstes regtig aktief besig om die vereiste infrastruktuurbeplanning en voorsiening in pas met die huidige en verwagte ontwikkelings te ontwikkel?

Is the hangklip area being short-changed in respect of the provision of services such as roads, water & sewerage to cater for the escallation in houses being built and the influx of new residents?  –  jaap van deventer

Ons reën is vanjaar baie minder as laasjaar. Kyk die grafiek. Plante gaan dood. Bome gaan dood. Mense wil boorgate sink om die min grondwater nog verder uit te put. Is ons opgaardam oorkant Pringlebaai in staat om die toestroming in ekstra bevolking op langer duur van water te voorsien? Dit het tans ‘genoeg’ water. Genoeg vir die huidige bevolking? Hoeveel water het dit verlede jaar teen einde Mei gehad?

1. Mense in die Kogelberg-streek word meer. Baie meer huise is in aanbou. Het ons die water vir hulle? Ons sien klaar dat die watertoevoerstelsel so gebrekkig is dat waterdrukke op sekere tye van die dag beperk word omdat die ou asbespype te dun en te swak is.
2. Mense in die Kogelberg-streek word meer. Is die riooldienste hoegenaamd in staat om die ekstra lading te hanteer?
3. Mense in die Kogelberg-streek word meer. Wat word beplan om die 90 km stofstrate – party letterlik 2-spoor paadjies – te verbeter?
4. Meer beboude erwe  waarop reënwater nie meer oor die hele oppervlakte in die grond kan intrek nie skep bykomende vloedpotensiaal. Die lê van stormwaterpype en die bou van beton-strormwater kanale  word al hoe meer dringend en noodsaaklik. Hier is duidelik 'n groot tekort aan stormwaterbeplanning.
5. Een belangrike maatreël om waternood te versag en om verspoelings te beperk, sou wees dat aanvanklik alle nuwe wonings of aanbouïngs 'n groot watertenk, sê 5 Kl groot, moet hê. Die watertenkvereiste kan mettertyd na alle wonings, ook bestaandes, uitgebrei word.

Ek kry die indruk dat ons munisipale owerhede niks of bitter min doen om die Kogelberg, en hier verwys ek spesifiek na Bettysbaai, Pringlebaai en Rooiels -  'n regmatige befondsingsdeel te gee – regmatig in terme van die belastings wat in die verskillende gebiede gehef word. Ons sien gereeld hoe Hermanus en ook Kleinmond) in begrotings en spandering bevoordeel word.

Hoe lank nog gaan ons Kogelbergers (Bettysbaai, Pringlebaai en Rooiels) tevrede wees om aan die agterspeen te suig sonder om meer aggressief op te tree? Moet ons dan nou ook begin optogte reël en bande brand? Moet ons nou ook begin belastings in trustrekenings inbetaal om beter toedelings en dienste af te dwing? Hierdie soort optrede is mos nie net vir sekere gebiede en bevolkingsgroepe gereserveer nie. Ons mag mos ook maar!

I am seriously stressed out.
We read with perturbation of the extravagant immigration of people to the Overberg and also to Kleinmond. Very many new houses are built in the Kogelberg – Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay and Rooiels – and we read with alarm how people build many new houses and add extensions to existing ones. The question now is: Are our municipal authorities really actively planning the required infrastructure to cope with the current and future growth/developments?

Our rain this year so far is much less compared to 2016. Look at the graph. Plants die. Trees die. Many people contemplate sinking boreholes to just place a further burden on the meagre remaining underground water. Is the catchment dam near Pringle Bay sufficient to supply water to the increased population over the next number of years? We hear that we have ‘enough’ water, but that term ‘enough’ is a measure in terms of the current average population. Just a question: What was the water level this time a year ago?

1. The number of people in the Kogelberg is increasing sharply. Many more houses are being built. Do we have water for the multitudes? Already we see that the water supply system is unable to cope and that water pressure at specific times of the day is reduced because the old asbestos pipes are too frail and thin to supply the need.
2. The number of people in the Kogelberg is increasing sharply. Are the sewerage systems at all geared to deal with this extra demand? The tankers, the plant, the whatever?
3. The number of people in the Kogelberg is increasing sharply.  We have ±90 Km of dusty, gravel roads, although some are hardly more than basic 2-wheel tracks. What is on the drawing boards to cope with the increase in population?
4. More built-up plots imply that there is less natural surface to absorb rainfall. This creates an additional potential for flooding.  This further implies that we require more concrete storm water channels and pipes to deal with the threat of floods. The lack of storm water planning is, to say the least, glaring.
5. One important measure that can alleviate the need for water and also to limit floods would be a bylaw that requires all new buildings and extensions to have a large water tank, say at least 5 Kl. This requirement can, in time, be extended to all, even existing, dwellings.

Somehow, I get the impression that our municipal council and top municipal management is not very motivated to give the Kogelberg area, specifically Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay and Rooiels, a fair share of attention compared to the taxes that are being collected from this area. In this case we insist on a fair share of capital and operational budgeting/spending as well.

For how long are the Kogelberg ‘outcasts’ going to accept this raw deal without going to act more aggressively? Are we being forced to start marching and burning tyres? Are we being forced to pay our taxes into trust accounts to enforce the powers that be to give a fairer allocation of tax money for the supply of services? Or is this type of behaviour reserved for certain areas and population groups only?  No, we are also entitled to march and demand! Or are we too ‘slapgat’?

Links to files of the spreadsheet graph

Download the xlsx file here.

Download the ods file here.

View the spreadsheet on Google Docs.