Share boreholes to provide some respite

THERE has been much correspondence about borehole water, some informed and some uninformed, but few facts have been stated.

It is a fact that the state does have the right to control the usage of water derived from boreholes, but due to the practical difficulty of monitoring the many small boreholes used for watering gardens, it has chosen not to require registration of this category of borehole users.

I suppose it was also realised that when the garden plants had filled their needs, the remainder of the water went back into the aquifer.

I suggest that instead of trying to control the use of private boreholes, the Cape Town council should concentrate on persuading non-commercial borehole owners to share their water with the people in their area.

This can be easily done using Class 6 black plastic pipe fitted with a cheap plastic valve on its end and leading it outside the property, to the side of the road.

I have checked the cost at a local nursery and find it to be R5.80 per metre for the pipe, and R120 for the valve. Because the water is not connected to a municipal supply, the services of a plumber will not be required.

Not allowing for the cost of installation, the cost of electricity is the biggest cost, and it’s not very high.

I have a 100mm borehole and a booster pump, and the combined cost of electricity is not as much as my swimming pool pump.

The quality of most borehole water that is being drawn from the Table Mountain Aquifer is very good and the water is certainly as pure as that from fountains on the mountainside.

Using private boreholes will help to alleviate the pressure on the method that the municipality proposes to use and is using. WJ Mylrea Constantia