No relief from nightly water cuts

WHILE the recent rain has brought relief to the hot, dry conditions experienced this summer, city residents have been warned that the nightly water shutdowns are expected to continue.

Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Sello Matsie said yesterday that the level yesterday morning at the Newton Reservoir was 13.6ft.

“The levels have gone up following the recent rains. However, we will continue with the nightly shutdowns until we are able to sustain the level at 16ft,” Matsie said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will keep residents informed.”

The level at the Newton Reservoir dropped to below 8ft last month, prompting the municipality to implement stage five water restrictions with demand outstripping supply.

The low levels were blamed on the high consumption due to the hot, dry weather, resulting in more water being used than what the municipality could pump from Riverton, causing the levels at Newton to drop to crisis proportions.

At the time of the announcement of water restrictions, the municipality stated that once the levels stabilised at around 12 to 15ft, the municipality would look at cutting the time period when the water was switched off at night.

By yesterday, more than 63mm of rain had fallen in the city, according to the SA Weather Office, with 31mm measured at the Kimberley Airport after Saturday’s storm, 24mm measured after Sunday’s rainfall and 8mm measured after Monday’s rain.