Subject: RE: Greenway Farms: Aansoek om 'n watergebruikerslisensie

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1 Tolmay Hopkins From: Sent: To: Subject: Tolmay Hopkins 21 July :47 PM Tolmay Hopkins FW: Greenway Farms: Aansoek om 'n watergebruikerslisensie From: Greeff Ben Sent: Monday, May 30, :42 AM To: Anelle Lotter Subject: RE: Greenway Farms: Aansoek om 'n watergebruikerslisensie Hallo Anelle, Ons volstaan by ons kommentaar met die uitsondering van paragraaf 4. Daar sal in hierdie geval wel n servituut geregistreer moet word. Dan sal ons graag wil weet of julle al antwoorde het in terme van paragrawe 6 & 7? Ben Greeff Land Use Planner Waterberg District Department of Agriculture Cell Office (014) From: Anelle Lotter [mailto:anelle@jaws.co.za] Sent: 27 May :14 PM To: Greeff Ben Cc: Tolmay Hopkins; 'Sibongile Bambisa' Subject: Greenway Farms: Aansoek om 'n watergebruikerslisensie Beste Meneer Greef Na aanleiding van die epos hieronder en n groep epos wat ons op 11 April 2016 gestuur het wil ons baie graag van u verneem of u enige verdere kommentaar het rakende die aansoek van Greenway Farms vir n watergebruikerslisensie. Intussen het die Department van Water en Sanitasie (DWS) gevra dat ons die openbare oorsig tydperk verleng tot Vrydag, 17 Junie Dus kan kommentaar nog ingewin word tot en met 17 Junie Een van DWS se voorwaardes was dat u department vir kommentaar genader word. Kan ons asseblief vra dat u die verslag besigtig en dienooreenkomstig kommentaar sal lewer voor of op 17 Junie U is welkom om die kommentaar aan ons terug te stuur. Sou u enige vrae het, skakel my gerus. Volg gerus die volgende skakel om n kopie van die verslag op die internet oop te maak - 1

2 Tolmay Hopkins From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Mark Berry 10 May :44 PM IWULA for Greenway Farms ATTENTION: ANELLE LOTTER JONES AND WAGENER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS As the owner of a private game reserve and registered Natural Heritage Site on the Limpopo River - Mmabolela Estates I wish to register as an I & AP of the proposed IWULA application for Greenway Farms by virtue of the fact that the Phalala River is a major contributor to annual flow in the Limpopo and any abstraction in the Phalala River will negatively impact flow in the Limpopo River. Environmental Impact Assessment The EIA appears to be based on impressions and visual observations (see extract below) and lacks measurement or scientific basis. Whilst the application is based on an existing lawful permitted abstraction out of the Phalala dam, the EIA does not adequately address the impacts on such abstraction from the dam itself, nor the impact on downstream users, but largely focuses on impact in the Bokpoort stream and dam. It is unclear whether or not the current lawful allocation has indeed been abstracted in the past. Abstraction of water from the Lephalala River system will not have an impact on downstream users since the abstraction will be done in terms of the current lawful allocation to Greenway Farms. If the m3 are currently not abstracted, the future abstraction will have an impact on the dam itself and downstream users. This is particularly so in years of low rainfall when it is the intention to transfer this water to the Bokpoort dam. It is years of low rainfall and minimal run-off that the impact will be most severe. With respect to the EIA of abstraction from the Phalala dam, important questions are: 1

3 What is the mean annual runoff (MAR) into the dam? (The MAR of the Phalala river catchment is given at 142m m3 presumably this is the entire river and not the catchment of the Phalala dam alone?) What is the abstraction yield of the dam? What is the ecological reserve of the dam? What is the water balance of the dam given inflow, abstraction (current and proposed), evaporation and outflow? Only when these questions have been answered can it be determined whether or not there is indeed an excess of water to be transferred to the Bokpoort Dam, and what the environmental impacts might be, specifically to downstream users. To say that abstraction will have no impact because there is a lawful allocation is misleading - allocation cannot be equated with abstraction. Lephalala (Phalala) River System The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Report - An Internal Strategic Perspective: Limpopo Water Management Area in (Report No. P WMA 01/000/00/0304) specifically refers to the water requirements and availability of the Lephalala River as per the Table below. And at DWAF s own admission there was already a deficit of 12m m3 in Table 4.11: Reconciliation of the water requirement and the water resource in the Lephalala Key Area in the year 2003 (all units are million m3/a) Available Water Local yield 24 Transfer In 0 Total 24 Water requirements Local requirements 36 Transfers out 0 Total 36 Balance 12 The report goes on to say : The catchment appears to be stressed but this probably relates to opportunistic irrigation in the lower reaches of the catchment. Many complaints have been received from irrigators regarding the shortage of water in this catchment which is an indication that this Key Area is indeed stressed. An unusual feature of this catchment is that the middle reaches of the Lephalala River have a high conservation status while normally it is the upper reaches of a river which enjoy a higher ecological status. The irrigation development in the upper reaches is creating a problem for the Reserve requirements of the middle reaches, which cannot be met under the current levels of development. This is a problem which needs to be addressed. Although there are potential dam sites on the Lephalala River, which is underdeveloped, due to the high conservation status of the this area, it is unlikely that major dams would ever be constructed on the main-stem of the Lepalala River. Clearly the water abstraction in the upper catchment is impacting negatively on the ecologically important and high conservation status of the middle reaches. In all likelihood the situation has deteriorated further in the past 13 years. If there is an excess of water in the Phalala dam, surely this should then be allocated to the middle reaches of the Lephalala and not for transfer to another dam and catchment. DWAF are in defiance of their own report and recommendation that the problem of the water deficit in the Lephalala river needs to be addressed. The proposed transfer will further exacerbate an already stressed system. 2

4 Consultation The IWULA report acknowledges that there needs to be consultation with I & APs namely Direct consultation with adjacent landowners and specifically downstream landowners. However, the report does not indicate what consultation took place. Consultation implies public meetings and face to face interaction not a general letter re the project to stakeholders. It is important to know what public meetings took place; who exactly was consulted; what was the response of adjacent and downstream landowners; and, how have the issues and concerns raised been addressed in the final proposal? In conclusion, while this project may appear to be insignificant, it is one of many that have taken place in the tributaries of the Limpopo River the past years. Each project is examined in isolation. No one is looking at the cumulative impact of the many developments, large and small, in these feeder rivers into the Limpopo. Developments that have seen the Limpopo transformed from a majestic, perennial river to an ephemeral storm water drain with deteriorating water quality and increased pollution. The Phlalala River is the one of the few remaining relatively pristine and unimpounded rivers. Its waters need to be protected for the important ecosystem services they provide. Dr Mark Berry Mmabolela Estates Tel

5 Tolmay Hopkins From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Willem van Jaarsveld 12 May :23 AM 'Mark Berry'; RE: IWULA for Greenway Farms Dear Dr Berry We support you in your request to be a registered as a I & AP to this matter as well as your views on the consequences and process not followed. If any other assistance is required please contact us. Regards. Willem van Jaarsveld HUB / CEO / info@agrilimpopo.co.za From: Mark Berry [mailto:mark@mmabolela.co.za] Sent: 10 May :44 PM To: anelle@jaws.co.za; sibongile@jaws.co.za Cc: info@agrilimpopo.co.za; agribosveld@hotmail.com; NtshagovheM@dws.gov.za; tolmay@jaws.co.za Subject: IWULA for Greenway Farms ATTENTION: ANELLE LOTTER JONES AND WAGENER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS 1

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9 Tolmay Hopkins From: Anelle Lotter Sent: 14 June :17 AM To: palala louw Cc: Tolmay Hopkins Subject: RE: Watergebruikerslisensie aansoek vir Greenway Farms - openbare oorsig tot 17 Junie 2016 Dankie Mnr Louw ons gee aandag aan u epos. Groete Anelle From: palala louw [mailto:louwlettie@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, June 13, :59 PM To: Anelle Lotter <anelle@jaws.co.za> Subject: Re: Watergebruikerslisensie aansoek vir Greenway Farms - openbare oorsig tot 17 Junie 2016 Aan wie dit mag aangaan, Ek, Willem Louw is in 1960 hier gebore en my familie boer al vir 70 jaar hier op Palala. Volgens my is hier alreeds teveel waterregte toegestaan op die Palala rivier wat sy volhoubaarheid dus verminder. Vanaf 1990 af tot en met 2016 het die besproeiings stelsels meer as verdubbel en slegs 1 dam is by gebou om almal aan water te voorsien, wat weereens volgens my nie genoegsaam is om al die boere se gewasse te dra nie. Dit word vanaf die oorsprong van die Palala rivier tot die waterontrekkings punt van Rugani verwys. Ons merk ook op dat Rugani slegs water af pomp buite die reënval seisoen so sou Greenway sy toegestaande waterreg verskuif na die Sterkrivier en dit begin reën in n normale reën jaar kan dit n maand tot 2 maande vat voor die dam wat na verwys word vol is en uitloop. Al loop daar n stroom in, in die wintermaande is die stroom wat Greenway verskuif groter as die stroom wat inkom dus trek net Greenway voordeel hieruit. Nog n problem wat ons het daars geen meting van die stroom wat inkom en die stroom wat veronderstel is om deurgelaat te word nie. Wie gaan die stroom kontroleer wat Greenway gaan afpomp? Watse kontroles gaan hier ingestel word? Sou dit toegestaan word sal ons gedwing word om ekstra damme te bou uit die rivier uit om ons gewasse te dra deur die winter maande. 1

10 Ons stem onder geen omstandighede saam met die idee dat die water afgepomp word nie. Die Uwe Willem Louw :10 GMT+02:00 Anelle Lotter Geagte belanghebbendes Ons gee graag vir u kennis dat die openbare oorsig tydperk vir die watergebruikerslisensie-verslag verleng is na Vrydag, 17 Junie U het dus tyd om kommentaar te lewer tot en met 17 Junie Die uitgebreide kommentaar tydperk (tot 17 Junie 29016) sal komende Vrydag, 16 Mei 2016 ook in Die Pos koerant geadverteer word. Die verslag is steeds beskikbaar soos ons reeds vir u kennis gegee het. Sou u enige vrae he, moenie huiwer om ons te skakel nie. Vriendelike groete Anelle Lötter Public participation Practitioner, Jones & Wagener C T anelle@jaws.co.za P O Box 1434 Rivonia 2128 South Africa 2

11 HENQUE 3198 BK/CC (Reg. CK/2000/031237/23) Kwaggahoek Posbus/P O Box 606 NABOOMSPRUIT PALALA 0560 oubaas@proplum.co.za Tel: (014) Sel: Jones & Wagener (Pty) Ltd 15 June 2016 For attention Anelle Lötter GREENWAY FARMS (PTY) LTD INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENCE APPLICATION This letter is in response to your invitation to submit comments on the matter mentioned above. We wish to emphasize at the outset that we have no objection to the proposed withdrawal and transfer of water from the Phalala Dam to the Bokpoort Dam, as long as the river is in flow. It is when the river is no longer in flow that the interests of water users (downstream or otherwise) may come under threat. According to the IWULA the flow in both streams will, in a normal year, have stopped (Bokpoort in April and Phalala in July) before the most vulnerable time in respect of water availability (being) from September to November. If, in a relatively dry year, both streams stopped flowing earlier than usual, Greenway Farms would, in terms of the proposed licence, be permitted to withdraw and transfer its full entitlement of cubic metres from the Phalala Dam even if it should result in emptying the dam to the detriment of other users. To prevent such an occurrence the licence to Greenway Farms should permit the withdrawal and transfer of water up to, but not beyond a stated limit, expressed as a percentage of the capacity of the dam; that is to say, Greenway Farms will not be permitted to withdraw any more water once the level of the Phalala Dam has dropped below x% (to be determined on equitable grounds by the competent authorities) of its capacity. Failure to provide such protection would be to expose other water users to the risk of virtual expropriation of their rights. Sincerely yours Paul Roos HENQUE 3198 CC

12 16 Junie 2016 URALITE PTY LTD REG 2015/089462/07 Posbus/P.O.Box 1657 POLOKWANE 0700 Jones & Wagener (PTY) LTD Aandag : Anelle Lotter GREENWAY FARMS (PTY) LTD WATER LISENSIE URALITE PTY LTD is die eienaar van die aangrensende plase van die Greenways farms plaas Kafferskraal. Die betrokke plase is: Gedeelte 4 KR168 Kafferskraal Gedeelte 5 KR 168 Kafferskraal Gedeekte 5 KR 122 Elandsbosh Gedeelte 1 KR 270 Vlakfontein As n reel het ons nie n probleem met die pomp van water oor die waterskeiding in n tyd wat die Palala rivier loop (Dws. die damme vol is en water vrylik afbeweeg met die rivier). Ons het egter voorbehoude met die toekenning van n lisensie wanneer die Palala rivier nie meer vrylik loop nie. Die gevare wat vir ons en ander produsente bestaan is dat die water kwota uitgeoefen word in die tyd wat water op sy skaarste is. Die bedoeliing van n water kwota is om die water oor n tydperk van 12 maande te benut. Die gevaar wat hier kan ontstaan is dat die waterkwota alles in n tyd van skaarste uitgeoefen word, om tekorte in n ander watersisteem (Sterkrivier) te verlig, tot nadeel van die Palala watersisteem en sy gebruikers. Ons versoek dus dat voor die water lisensie toegeken word daar na n meganisme in gestel word om die gevare soos bo uiteengesit aan te spreek. Met dank Louis De Wet DIRECTORS: L DE WET, PJ ROOS