By the end of September the Makana Municipality expects to have completed a R1.4 million project to improve access to the natural spring on the R67.
By the end of September the Makana Municipality expects to have completed a R1.4 million project to improve access to the natural spring on the R67.
The project at Emthonjeni (meaning "spring"), just outside Grahamstown on the road to Port Alfred and Bathurst, will be funded by the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Thando Bili, the project's manager, said the main objective was to preserve the existing water source, while making it safe for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users who wanted to draw water there.
"This is to be done by relocating the existing water pipe to the opposite side of the road [the left side when you're going towards Port Alfred]", Bili said. But don't worry – there are no disruptive roadworks planned.
"The pipe will be drilled underneath the road with a sleeve," Bili said. Work on the project began on 1 April, but progress has been slow because 11 working days in April were lost thanks to back-to-back national holidays. Bili said he expected it to be completed in five months.
Bili said the following would also be done to beautify the area near the spring:
* Trees will be planted
* Gabion baskets will be erected as a retaining wall to prevent erosion, while giving the area a natural feel
* The existing parking area will be re-gravelled
* Benches and concrete bins will be erected
According to Kevin Bates, of Makana Municipality's Parks and Recreation division, the spring has been in use for many years — probably since the early 1900s. "It only became heavily used because of the water crisis in Grahamstown [in the last few years]," said Bates, which has caused regional traffic authorities to be concerned for the safety of road users.
