ORANGE/DOUGLAS GOVERNMENT WATER SCHEME
WATER TRANSFER SCHEMES IN THE MIDDLE ORANGE
As a result of the 1984 drought, the farmers at Douglas, with the financial support of the local farmers' co-operative, initiated an emergency scheme on the bank of the Vaal River near its confluence with the Orange River, to transfer Orange River water to the existing Douglas Weir on the Vaal River. In addition to problems of chronic water shortage, the water quality in the lower Vaal River also deteriorated greatly resulting in an unacceptably high level of salinity for irrigation water.
Click on image for full size photo
The emergency scheme involved the construction of a pumping station at Marksdrift on the Orange River, with a pump head of 39 m and an emergency earth canal of 22 km. With the completion of the scheme approximately 8 100 ha of drought stricken irrigation land is now assured of an adequate supply of high quality water.
Click on image for full size photo
In 1986 the emergency scheme was incorporated into the Orange-Douglas Government Water Scheme, with the potential of expanding the existing irrigation development in the Douglas area by a further 4 000 ha. This scheme involved lining the canal to transform the emergency canal into a permanent structure and increasing the capacity along the first portion to 12 m3/s, as well as the upgrading of the extensive water distribution network. The scheme was started in 1987 and completed in 1994.