Vaalharts Water

Vaalharts Water is the name of a publicly controlled irrigation system (English: Vaalharts Water Supply Scheme ) in South Africa and the largest of its kind in the country. It consists of reservoirs, irrigation and drainage canals as well as siphon systems and extends with its systems on agricultural areas of the Northern Cape and North West provinces . At the points of its greatest extent, Vaalharts Water irrigates and drains agricultural areas in the vicinity of the cities of Taung , Delportshoop and Barkly West .

management

The Vaalharts Water User Association (VHWUA) has been responsible for the operation, administration and maintenance of the water management systems that were transferred to it by the previous operator, the South African government, since 2002. In addition, there were systems from Vryburg Water Works . However, this does not apply to private, smaller dams on farm properties that are under the control of the respective farm operator. In the Taung region, the North West Province's Department of Agriculture is responsible for irrigating the affected farmland. The water is mainly used by the affiliated farms to irrigate the agricultural areas.

By the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (Ministry of Water and Forests) on May 18, 2001 with the Proclamation 421 in the Government Gazette No. 22281 the establishment of the supply area and the name of the Vaalharts Water User Association (German roughly: Vaalharts- Water user community) as well as their responsibility on the basis of the National Water Act ( Act No. 36/1998 ). Vaalharts Water was also assigned to the National Water Management Area No. 10. On April 1, 2002, the Vaalharts Water User Association began its activities.

The state supervision is anchored in the national Department of Water Affairs (German: Ministry for Water). The operator's administrative headquarters are in the city of Jan Kempdorp .

Climate of the region

The region's climate is semi-arid . Summers are very warm and winters are cold. Heavy frosts set in in mid-May and appear until the end of July. There can be severe frost for 23 to 32 days each year. Rainfalls mainly occur in summer and produce an average annual rainfall of 477 mm (measuring station Jan Kempdorp) or 450 mm (measuring station Taung). The main wind direction is north-northwest with a frequent speed between 3.5 and 5.6 m / s.

overview

In total, the canal system consists of 1,176 kilometers with canal courses covered by concrete slabs, which means that around 1,250 farm units with a size between 25 and 75 hectares receive their water supply. The major natural watercourses that the irrigation system communicates with are the Vaal , Harts River, and Dry Harts Rivers .

The total area accessible in this way with a water supply covers a total of 35,302 hectares , of which 31,732 hectares are in the Northern Cape Province and 3,570 hectares in the North West Province. An additional area of ​​2,854 ha will be available when the north canal is completely renovated.

The irrigation system is operated (as of 2009) in four sections. These are:

• Vaalharts

Supply potential 29,181 ha, 100 km main canal, 180 km feeder canals, 540 km regional canals ( community canals ), 300 km drainage canals

• Klipdam / Barkley West Canals

Supply potential 2,396.7 ha, 320 km of canals

• Hartsrivier / Spitskop Dam

Supply potential 1,663 ha, 55 km of the river below the dam

• Taung scheme / Taung Dam

Supply potential 6,424 ha, currently only 3,759 ha irrigated

The geographic area favored by the Vaalharts irrigation system is in the local parishes of Dikgatlong , Magareng and Phokwane of the Frances Baard district , in the former Frances Baard District Municipal Area ( DMA ) in the Northern Cape Province and in the Greater Taung local parish of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district in North West Province .

Water dam systems in the Vaalharts system

Vaalharts Weir

The core of the extensive facilities is the Vaalharts weir (formerly Knoppiesfontein Dam ), a discharge weir on the lower reaches of the Vaal not far from the small town of Warrenton . The water intake of the Vaal water level dammed up here is influenced by the flow rate of the Bloemhof reservoir . From the Vaalharts weir, the Main Canal branches off to the side and on the northern bank of the Vaals , and a few kilometers later it branches into the Klipdam- Barkly Canal and the North Canal . The latter releases water into the West Canal, which branches off from it.

The Vaalharts weir is located about 13 kilometers downstream from Christiana . The main purpose of the weir system is to divert water for agricultural irrigation areas. In addition, but to a lesser extent, water is made available to domestic and industrial customers in the cities of Vryburg , Hartswater , Jan Kempdorp, Warrenton, Windsorton , Klipdam , Barkly West and Delportshoop. The mentioned localities are in the catchment area of ​​the irrigation system, only Vryburg is 52 kilometers north of it.

The weir was built in 1938 and at that time dammed the water at a height of 4 meters. It has three stone contactors ( Stoney sluices ), before subsequent structural enhancements a dimension of 8 x 6 m and had been operated electrically or manually, and three 3 x 2,7 m manually operated radial gates ( radial gates ). With the reconstruction of the weir system in 1967 and the associated increase in the water level by 1.27 meters and the installation of fish-bellied flaps at the flood overflow , the storage volume increased. This means that a maximum of 48.7 million cubic meters of water from the Vaal is available.

Taung Dam

The Taung Reservoir ( 27 ° 31 ′ 17.9 ″  S , 24 ° 51 ′ 8.61 ″  E ) gets its water from the Harts River and can hold 56 million cubic meters of water. The structure was erected between 1982 and 1984, but was not finally completed until 1994. It is used for irrigation in agriculture and the municipal water supply.

Spitskop Dam

The Spitskop Reservoir ( 28 ° 6 '46.47 "  S , 24 ° 30' 58.71"  O ) is in the Hart River and has a maximum storage capacity of 58 million cubic meters of water. The structure was built between 1967 and 1968 and gave rise to the establishment of the Spitskop Government Water Scheme .

History of the irrigation system

prehistory

Map of the wider region around 1871

The landscapes in the area of ​​today's Vaalharts irrigation system were first proposed as a settlement area by the chief surveyor Francis Henry Samuel Orpen after the annexation of the area that was added to Griqualand West in 1871 . He found out that the river bed of the Harts River was lower than that of the Vaals. He saw the natural terrain as an ideal prerequisite for creating an irrigation system in the area between the two rivers through canals. On December 22, 1875 he noted the following suggestion:

"It is possible, by taking out the water of the Vaal River near Fourteen Streams, to irrigate about half a million of acres in the Harts River Valley."

"By taking water from the Vaal not far from Fourteen Streams, it is possible to irrigate over half a million acres in the valley of the Harts River ."

- Francis Henry Samuel Orpen

The politician John X. Merriman proposed in 1882 in the parliament of the Cape Colony that a commission be set up to plan irrigation systems, including in the area between the Vaal and Harts River. In his opinion, this would "turn the desert into a garden" here. His advance was based on the work of the hydraulic engineer John Gamble. However, lack of money prevented further activities. Even Cecil John Rhodes was pressing hard for the proposed irrigation systems a (then Harts River Valley Irrigation Scheme called).

The Vaalharts irrigation project gained renewed interest after the First World War , when the South African government at the time wanted to give usable land to returning soldiers. In this context, the irrigation authority initiated a large-scale investigation of the area for the first time in 1925. For this purpose, exploratory drilling was carried out in order to obtain detailed knowledge of the soil profile. In 1926 and 1927, the agency undertook further investigations and planning that extended to the vicinity of Taung. The South African Air Force conducted aerial surveys with airplanes.

Construction progress

The effects of the global economic crisis had prompted the government of the South African Union to start major infrastructure projects to create jobs for the “white” population. This also included the competing project of the Vaal Dam near Vereeniging , which was planned by the then Rand Water Board for the water supply of the expanding Johannesburg conurbation . Negotiations with Rand Water resulted in the stipulation that within the water management at the Vaal dam, capacities should also remain for a discharge weir 57 kilometers downstream on the lower reaches of the Vaals.

Originally, plans were made for a dam on the Vaal near the city of Christiana in order to start irrigation from there. The concrete beginning of the extensive Vaalharts system took place in 1933, when a planning group undertook exploratory work in the area of ​​the Andalusia farm . A search was made for suitable locations for workers' accommodation, offices and storage areas. The lack of rain and the subsequent drought increased the political will to tackle this major project.

In 1934, works began on the future Vaalharts weir and its main canal, but also on the competing Vaal dam. At the beginning of the project, the government's political premises stipulated that only “white” workers, unmarried and between the ages of 18 and 45 in good health, should be employed. Later on, the strict regulations in favor of married men and even for “black” and “ colored ” job seekers relaxed . The wages for "white" workers were 2 shillings a day. There were various leisure facilities for workers to relax. These included u. a. a swimming pool , a rugby and tennis court and a cinema . Medical field stations existed for health care. Cases not treatable here were taken to Kimberley Hospital. Mass vaccinations were used against the outbreak of diphtheria and typhus .

The men worked in groups of between 10 and 20 people and were distributed in sections on a line of 80 kilometers in the area. A respective section engineer directed the work and monitored its progress. The chief engineer at headquarters had overall technical responsibility. There were four sections, each with a camp and the associated supply infrastructure. Section 1 was located at the weir at Fourteen Streams Station ( Vertien Strome ), a railway station with a branch that was named after the division of the Vaals into several branches of the river . The second section was located at Warrenton and the third section was near the project headquarters at Border Station . This location was later relocated along the projected sewer line and named Jan Kempdorp Station . Section 4 was only created later near Pokwani . In this section, two tunnels had to be built for the canal.

The north and west channels formed the focus of the first work. The first sections were flooded on December 15, 1936. Work on the construction of canal branches began in 1937. Due to the effects of the Second World War , they could not be completed until 1946. With all the branches, the canal system now extended over a total of 800 kilometers. The inside of the canals were sealed with concrete. Another 300 kilometers in the canal system were built later. To relieve the Vaal reservoir, the Bloemhof reservoir was built from the late 1960s .

Settlement and Agricultural Structure

An agricultural research station was set up in Vaalharts in 1935 in order to gain further knowledge about the soil types and to avoid undesirable development in the crops in the development phase of the farms . The first farmers mainly planted alfalfa , peanuts , potatoes , grain and vegetables . Later, cotton , pecans , olives , grapes , apricots , citrus fruits , watermelons and peaches added. In 1938 the first 80 farm plots were available for settlers to move into. The selection from among the applicants was made by a specially created committee. By 1940, 304 settlers had already settled in the area of ​​the Vaalharts irrigation system.

With the expansion of the Taung irrigation scheme between 1978 and 1979, the South African authorities, together with the administration of the homeland Bophuthatswana, promoted the development of the agricultural livelihood structure in the region around Taung . It was an investment by Agricor , a public development agency created in 1978 in this homeland, as part of the Temisano Development Program . Agriculture at Taung at that time concentrated on the cultivation of wheat , peanuts , corn and cotton . Taung's irrigation system received approximately 20 percent inflow from Vaalharts Water in 1983.

Transport infrastructure

Steam locomotive in Hartswater

From Warrenton via Jan Kempdorp, Hartswater, Taung and on to Vryburg in the direction of Mafikeng , the N18 national road and a railway line run in a north-south direction . Road and rail have branches in and near Warrenton. A transverse road connection exists through the regional road R708 from Christiana to Jan Kempdorp and from there the R370 in a south-westerly direction to Delportshoop. Here this regional road crosses the R31, which runs from Kimberley via Barkly West to Kuruman .

The N12 national road , which also comes from Kimberley, turns in Warrenton in the Vaals valley to the northeast in the direction of Christiana and then continues towards the Johannesburg metropolitan area .

tourism

A specific form of tourism developed in the region, which is characterized by agriculture , the offers of which concentrate on the fruit cultivation carried out here and the associated food production. This is accompanied by equestrian sports, water bird watching and scenic experiences on the banks of the Harts River. The centers of this gentle tourism are the towns of Jan Kempdorp and Hartswater.

further reading

• South Africa. Department of Water Affairs: Supplementary Report on the Proposed Lower Vaal River Government Water Scheme (Raising of the Douglas Weir), 1974-1975, prepared in terms of section 58 of the Water Act, 1956 (Act 54 of 1956) = Aanvullende Verslag oor the Voorgestelde Benede-Vaalrivier-Staatswaterskema (Verhoging van die Douglas-Stuwal), 1974–1975, opgestel ingevolge article 58 van die Waterwet, 1956 (Wet 54 van 1956) . Pretoria, Government Printer, [1974]

Web links

• Water savings: Persistence pays off at Vaalharts. The Water Wheel Nov / Dec 2009 (English; PDF)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Vaalharts Water: Home . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
2. ^ ^{A b} Vaalharts Water: Bulk Water Supply . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Lani van Vuuren: Water savings: Persistence pays off at Vaalharts . In: The Water Wheel, Nov./Dec. 2009, online at www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
4. ^ Vaalharts Water: Statutory Status of Vaalharts Water . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
5. ^ Department of Water Affairs and Forestry: Government Notice 421, Government Gazette No. 22281 of May 18, 2001. on www.enviroleg.co.za (English)
6. ↑ VHWUA: Policy on Performance Management and Development System . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)  
7. ^ Directorate Agricultural Engineering Services: Revitalization of the Vaalharts / Taung Irrigation Scheme Master Plan 2007/2008 . P. 4. online at www.vaalhartswater.co.za, PDF document p. 7 ( memento of the original dated March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
8. ^ Vaalharts Water: Vaalharts Water . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
9. ^ Vaalharts Water: Water Supply Services . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
10. ^ Directorate Agricultural Engineering Services: Revitalization of the Vaalharts / Taung Irrigation Scheme Master Plan 2007/2008 . P. 1. online at www.vaalhartswater.co.za, PDF document p. 4 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
11. ^ Vaalharts Water: Location and Extent of Scheme . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
12. ↑ ^{a b} DWA: Vaalharts Weir Drainage Region 300 . Information brochure from February 20, 1980. on www6.dwa.gov.za  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)  
13. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Vaalharts - A Garden in the Desert. In: The Water Wheel, Vol. 9 (2010), Issue 1 (January / February), pp. 20-24, online at www.ewisa.co.za ( Memento of the original from February 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info : The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ISSN 0258-2244 , edition 1/2010 (English)   
14. ^ Water Institute of Southern Africa: Taung Dam . on www.ewisa.co.za ( Memento of the original from February 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
15. ^ Vaalharts Water: Location and Extent of Scheme . on www.vaalhartswater.co.za ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
16. ^ Water Institute of Southern Africa: Spitskop Dam . on www.ewisa.co.za ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
17. ↑ ^{a b} Jetrick Seshoka; Willem De Lange; Nicolas Faysse: The transformation of irrigation boards into water user associations in South Africa: Case studies of the Lower Olifants, Great Letaba and Vaalharts water user associations . Volume 1. Colombo 2004, working paper of the International Water Management Institute , p. 50 (English)
18. ↑ SAhistory: Fourteen streams . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
19. ^ SAIRR : Survey of Race Relations in South Africa 1983 . Johannesburg 1984, p. 376
20. ^ SAIRR: Race Relations Survey 1984 . Johannesburg 1985, p. 584
21. ↑ Northern Cape Tourism Authority: The Vaalharts Valley . on www.experiencenortherncape.com ( memento of the original from March 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
22. ↑ Entry in worldcat.org

Coordinates: 28 ° 6 '46.12 "  S , 24 ° 55' 32.68"  O