Pump station repaired after vandalism, theft

The Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has confirmed that the water shortage in zones 2 and 3 of Ezibeleni was due to vandalism of the pump station and copper wire theft.

CHDM communications manager Thobeka Mqamelo said this week that the problem had since been repaired and that pumping continued.

To ensure an equitable sharing of water, Mqamelo said CHDM was exploring installing more valves aimed at regulating water to ensure that areas closer to the hills received a supply at agreed-upon intervals.

Last week, The Rep reported (“EFF lays water crisis squarely on CHDM”) that the party said it blamed the local authority, which is responsible for water services, for the extended outages.

Mqamelo said the areas which were closer to the hills, such as Unathi Mkefa and Chancele, were the first to run out of water whenever there was a shortage.

“During this period, CHDM deployed water tankers as immediate intervention. Water carting was undertaken in these areas including over weekends. By its nature, the delivery of water through carting cannot be done to the satisfaction of affected households as this has proven inadequate due to demand.”

The municipality had issued notices to alert the community about water shortages, including in Ezibeleni.

Further communication was conducted with the local councilor, Andile Batyi, on the water issue and to ensure proper management of water carting, she said.

“The councillor has since confirmed the difference that the carting has made, though it is certainly not enough. We emphasise that water sources in the Komani area are under pressure and as a result, there is hardly anything in our storage system. The volume of raw water coming through to be cleaned and distributed is not enough and can not meet the demand.”

Mqamelo said the water levels in the reservoirs barely reached a 10% mark on a daily basis.

“We regret that this state is set to continue for some time, due to the critically low water levels affecting pressure to high-lying areas. Our humble plea is for consumers to be considerate when using water as we all share this precious resource.”