Kimberley runs out of water

IN ONE of the biggest disasters to hit Kimberley, the town has run out of water and by yesterday afternoon, there was no water left in the dams at the Newton Reservoir.

As water levels at the reservoir dropped during the day, supplies to large parts of the city dried up, forcing the Sol Plaatje Municipality to announce the immediate implementation of emergency supply measures.

Many residents, whose taps dried up yesterday morning, faced an entire day and night without any water as the municipality announced that the supply would only be restored at 4am this morning.

However, further cuts can be expected during the course of the day.

Municipal spokesman Sello Matsie said yesterday afternoon that the water levels at the reservoir were extremely low, which meant that the municipality was unable to build up enough pressure to supply water, especially to the suburbs.

“The situation has been compounded by a leak on a chlorination pipe at the Riverton purification plant, which has since been fixed,” he said.

Matsie said all options were being looked at, including dedicating the 900mm pipeline to supply the dams at the Newton reservoir to speed up the process.

As part of the emergency measures, the water supply was suspended yesterday until 4am this morning to build the reserves in the 45 megalitre dam at the Newton Reservoir.

Low-lying areas, which were still able to receive water in the system, were scheduled to also be cut at 8pm last night.