CITY WATER SHUTDOWN AND

City braced for dry weekend

RESIDENTS and businesses have braced themselves for the citywide water shutdown that got under way last night.

Residents have filled up their baths, buckets and pots and pans as they prepare to be without water until Monday.

Sol Plaatje Municipality explained last week that the water shutdown from October 6 to 10 is needed to repair leaks on infrastructure that is 72 years old, where water losses of 60 percent have been incurred.

The local authority said it will start setting up Jojo tanks and supplying residents with water from today.

Many residents had already started filling up from Wednesday night “just in case” they found their taps dry when they returned from work yesterday.

Several businesses are expected to close earlier today due to the water cuts.

Residents and local businesses are also holding their breath that the municipality keeps its promise and restores the water supply on Monday morning.

It will, however, be business as usual at the Northern Cape Mall and the Diamond Pavilion as they are well-prepared for the water interruption.

Louw Bruwer from the North Cape Mall assured residents that they are prepared with both water and toilet facilities for their tenants and their customers.

He elaborated that the mall will operate during its normal hours, but with some limited facilities.

“We have 209 litres of water on the premises as back-up and have added more Jojo tanks for this period, which we have arranged with the municipality to keep full. We were considerate that we have supermarkets and restaurants that will need to use water. We have also made prior arrangements for water in cases of emergencies like fire. We decided to close three-quarters of our toilets in the mall but have set up mobile toilets at the back of the mall for customers to utilise,” said Bruwer.

The Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nocci) has meanwhile warned that all eyes are on the municipality with the hope that it sticks to the set schedule and also keeps residents updated.

Nocci CEO Sharon Steyn said they hope the municipality has “done its homework” in order to avoid prolonging the process.

Steyn added that they can't be angry with Sol Plaatje for wanting to fix the ailing infrastructure and said the municipality has thus far been responding to their concerns.

“They must ensure that they have enough of everything and do accurate fittings in time. If the municipality can give us honest updates, we as businesses will be able to step in when a crisis arises. We will appreciate transparency more than lies, because then our volunteers will be able to help out.

“The municipality must also have security guards to guard the Jojo tanks,” said Steyn.