New Schoonord koker to be tendered within a month – Mustapha

Residents of Schoonord have seen drainage conditions return to normal following emergency intervention by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) after a fishing boat reportedly displaced a door at the community’s koker.

During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Thursday, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said emergency measures have secured the affected structure.

He said they prevented further water from entering the community.

“We assessed the situation. We had emergency work carried out. We were able to fix stop locks to prevent any more water from coming into the community,” Minister Mustapha said.

The intervention came after the boat collided with the sluice door, causing damage to the base and water entering the community.

Minister Mustapha said those conditions have since been addressed, with the affected waterways drained and the area returning to normal.

With the immediate situation contained, the government will permanently replace the damaged sluice door.

The minister said the NDIA will proceed with the necessary tendering process within a month.

“We’ll have to build a new sluice door now,” he said.

In the interim, the temporary stop logs will remain in place to regulate movement of water and support drainage.

Minister Mustapha explained that the logs can be removed when the tide recedes to allow water to flow out, before being reinstated ahead of the returning tide.

The measures are intended to maintain drainage in Schoonord while the permanent replacement is pursued. [DPI]