Northern Cape weir hailed as ‘engineering marvel’, honoured with global heritage award

THE ORANGE-Vaal Water Users Association, which manages the 134-year-old Douglas Weir, has been awarded the World Heritage Irrigation Structure (WHIS) designation — the first time a South African irrigation structure has received this recognition.

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, said the WHIS award is a prestigious designation given to historic irrigation structures by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).

“This is the first time that a South African irrigation structure has received the award since the inception of the WHIS recognition category in 2012,” said Majodina.

“The award recognises the cultural, historical and technological significance of these structures. It was handed over to South Africa at the 9th Asian Regional Conference of ICID in Sydney, Australia, to recognise the 134-year-old Douglas Weir as an engineering marvel that has pioneered irrigation-led rural development in the Northern Cape.”

She added that the Douglas Weir was nominated by the South African National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (SANCID), and the award was accepted on behalf of the committee by ICID vice-president and SANCID chairperson, Professor Sylvester Mpandeli.

“A weir is a barrier across the width of a body of water that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. It is used to control the flow of water for rivers and other water resource structures. 

The Douglas Weir, located at the confluence of the Vaal and Orange rivers in Douglas, is now documented in the ICID Register of World Heritage Structures as the world’s oldest irrigation structure with historical context.”

Majodina said the global recognition given to the Douglas Weir as a “historic and cultural structure with engineering dexterity” should be used to empower the community of Douglas.

"There should be innovative structures that will bring an improvement to the supply of water and dignified sanitation to the local people and the surrounding areas.” 

She called on the Water Research Commission and other stakeholders to make the site a hub for innovation in water and sanitation projects.

The chairperson of the Board of the Water Research Commission, Dr Rethabile Melamu, added that South Africa was the third country to be awarded the WHIS.

“As we are formally bringing this award home to South Africa and particularly to the people of Douglas, we pledge to make this award a catalyst for economic development in the area and a tool to improve water and sanitation challenges in the area. We will work with different stakeholders to ensure that this engineering marvel is used not only as an irrigation site, but as a boon to technological advances that will be used to change the lives of the people of Douglas,” he said.

R28 million revitalisation project

Majodina and Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul also handed over the newly refurbished Douglas Water Treatment Works (WTW) to Siyancuma Local Municipality in the Pixley ka Seme District on September 18.

The minister stated that the existing purification plant was no longer operating efficiently, as it had exceeded its 30-year design life cycle and required urgent refurbishment.

"It will serve as a raw water abstraction point for water purification and supply to the town and surroundings.

“The R28 million revitalisation project scope entailed the refurbishment of the water purification plant, the general rehabilitation work of the plant and the installation of a 200 kilovolt-amperes (KVA) emergency generator.” 

She added that the Douglas water treatment plant initially supplied purified water with a design capacity of 3.8 megalitres per day (ML/day) but has now been upgraded to supply 7 ML/day to the population of 22,180 people living in 4,704 households in the area.

Saul said the newly refurbished plant would ensure the provision of clean water.

“Great progress has been made to improve access to clean and drinkable water in the Northern Cape, with 84.4 percent of households having access to safely managed sanitation and approximately 80.1 percent having access to piped water inside their dwellings. Just over 90 percent of households in the province rely on other sources such as springs and boreholes. 

“These statistics assist us in understanding the trajectory of water and sanitation provision in the province, and it is also important to acknowledge the contribution made by the Department of Water and Sanitation to ensure that service delivery is improved,” Saul stated.    

He applauded the historic recognition given to the Douglas Weir, which contributes to the irrigation of more than 8,000 hectares, supporting both crop production and livestock farming.

“Farmers and workers should be recognised for the internationally acclaimed WHIS award. Government upholds and gives due recognition to all the efforts that alleviate the impact of being a water-scarce province. As such, we wish to applaud the Orange-Vaal Water Users Association, which is responsible for managing the infrastructure,” he added.