Water outages in Port Alfred and Bathurst

A burst pipe in the Port Alfred CBD on Sunday afternoon 18 September saw residents still without water on Monday, while repairs were under way. Meanwhile, residents in Bathurst said they had been without water for several weeks.

Talk of the Town asked Ndlambe Municipality what the problems were and when they would be resolved. Spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa said on Monday:

Port Alfred CBD:

The ageing infrastructure and the old asbestos pipes are currently giving us challenges in terms of water supply. The team has finished with repairs and the CBD should have water this evening.

Bathurst:

A pump breakdown has resulted in water outages. Last weekend’s rains made it difficult for technicians to do the repairs because the (dirt) road leading to the pump station is very dangerous and slippery.

“We are pumping, but the water levels keep on dropping due to the pump breakdown.”

He said they were expecting the service provider to be on site soon to do repairs.

Adding to Bathurst’s water difficulties was the continuing drought, Mbolekwa said.