Page 121 - Bulletin 18 2014

118

Heerengracht canal was augmented by a stream along Plein Street, while a cross-canal along

Strand Street drained the slopes of Signal Hill. Other canals flanked Strand Street, Wale
Street, Queen Victoria Street (then called Tuinstraat) and Long Street. The Kaisersgracht

along the present Darling Strteet was built in 1693.

But the “prettie brooke” and its fresh, clear water were soon a thing of the past; the ‘Varsche
River’ became polluted with dust blown in by the South-Easter and by the run-off from the

rudimentary streets, while slaves found it a convenient dumping place for household waste.

Within a short while the canal water was undrinkable.

In 1707 Willem Adriaan van der Stel procured 200 lead pipes from the VOC to bring fresh

water from the foot of Table Mountain to the jetty; a four-jet fountain supplied the local
needs, and Cape Town was then, waterwise, considered to be amply provided for. A well in

Greenmarket Square was the main source of drinking water when the fountains were dry. As
the population increased slaves had to bring drinking water from springs on the mountainside

for the thirsty citizens.

The Directors of the Company, the ‘Here Sewentien’, were very reluctant to spend any

money on “unnecessary” infrastructure. Very little was done in the eighteenth century to
improve services, and by the end of the era the company had declined into near bankruptcy

and had no money to spend on any improvements whatsoever.

British Rule

When the British took permanent occupation in 1806 the population of the town was about

17,000, but municipal services had progressed very little since Van Riebeeck’s time. The
Home Government were also reluctant to spend money in an unproductive new colony, but

the shortage of water in the town required urgent attention. They accordingly appointed the

leading engineer of the day, John Rennie, to investigate augmentation of the supply. His
solution was to build a 250,000 gallon reservoir in what is now Hof Street in 1814. A water

superintendent, Mr John Chisholm, was appointed to implement the Rennie scheme, and he
held this post under various titles until his death 1856. (Fig. 3.10.) Under his guidance the

first cast-iron pipeline of 12-inch diameter was laid down Long Street, and branches of
smaller bore were extended to the cross streets. He built several pumps to lift water from