Bathurst hits Day Zero
Dam runs dry, residents angry
Bathurst hit Day Zero of its municipal water supply two weeks ago when Golden Ridge Dam ran dry, and residents have voiced their frustrations on social media as well as contacting Talk of the Town.
Posting on Talk of the Town’s Facebook group on January 1, Gavin Came wrote: “The quaint hamlet of Bathurst slipped quietly into NO water yesterday. No municipal boreholes, RO machines or emergency raintanks. Not even a condolences message from our municipality and fellow Ndlambians. Any suggestions?”
There were many responses from Bathurst residents and sympathetic residents living in other parts of Ndlambe.
Richard Pote, a former municipal employee, said: “Should the water service authority, being Ndlambe, provide a statement, it would be lekker if it would expand on their normal copy and paste statements with: 1. how many tankers in operation, 2. turnaround time to source, 3. source description, 4. contact details of ward councillor and operations manager, 5. anticipated daily supply volume, 6. supply points to consumers without rainwater tanks.”
TotT heard that the municipality had been delivering water by tanker for residents to collect from tanks at certain places, but there was unhappiness with the regularity of this supply.
Last week, resident Lynne Tarr wrote: This is A WEEK now and still no answers from the Municipality but “go to the Coop and collect” free water which they deliver. With what? It’s not like we all have our own bowsers! We are busy building, and gutters not up yet for rain tanks. What the hell are we supposed to do? And in Covid times. Disgusting, Ndlambe Municipality. You were VERY efficient at taking our connection fee money a few months ago! I’m spitting mad!”
TotT asked municipal manager RollyDumezweni and infrastructural development director Noluthando Vithi what emergency interventions had been put in place and what the longer term solutions were to alleviate the water crisis in Bathurst.
The answer came from Vithi, who provided a statement on Monday.
She said water trucks had already been carting water from other areas to assist Bathurst communities and water tanks had been placed in strategic areas and were filled on a daily basis.
“These are available to all residents,” she said.
In Bathurst village, the tanks are located at the Bathrust Coop, town hall, Tanks, Bathurst Arms (two tanks) and the Corner Shop.
In Nolukhanyo, the tanks can be found at Memani, Freestone, two at the informal setttlement, Koti, Mission, Qabane, Gedze, Tshisa, Nobebe, Zola, Cakwebe and the Bathurst clinic.
Another intervention is linking the boreholes to the Bathurst system and pumping water from some of the identified healthy boreholes through the Mansfield line to the water treatment works.
Vithi said the municipality was working on this last week and the contractor had connected electricity to pump water by last Friday.
“We are now filling up the reservoir so we can open the water supply once full,” she said.
The municipality is also looking into the possible construction of an estimated 4km pipeline to abstract water from the closest water stream to the water treatment plant.
“A consultant is working on this proposal and will submit the detailed plan by January 12,” Vithi said.
“Further investigation of existing boreholes and other sources of water is in progress,” she said.
“It must be noted the municipality will be delayed by the closure of suppliers in procuring some of the needed material for the works due to suppliers being closed over the holiday season.
“The orders will be placed from January 15.”
She urged residents to make use of the water provided in the communal tanks.
“Once water is available again from the strategies above, it must be used sparingly,” she said.
“Households are further encouraged to invest in rain water storage tanks as this could assist with the current situation in easing the demand for water.”
Ndlambe Municipality also reminded all residents and holidaymakers that the municipality imposed water restrictions in terms of Section 4 of the Water Services Act 108 (No 108 of 1997), in December 2017, and these restrictions are still standing.
They include prohibition on the use of municipal water to water gardens, sports fields, bowling or croquet greens, golf greens and fairways; to fill swimming pools or top up fountains and ornamental ponds; washing paved areas, walls, roofs and buildings, and using hosepipes, sprinklers and drip systems connected to the municipal supply.