City to complete installation of water meters in Hammanskraal
THE City of Tshwane has embarked on a process to audit water meters in Hammanskraal.
The plan is to install new meters to many households ahead of the completion of the Klipdrift water package plant in September, followed by the supply of potable water to residents.
The process to prepare municipal water infrastructure for water supply comes a week after Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu promised that Klipdrift water treatment works would be upgraded from 42 to 92 megalitres a day to ensure many households in the township receive a reliable water service.
The Klipdrift plant upgrade would take place alongside a long-term project to refurbish the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works through partnership between the Department of Water and Sanitation, the City and the Development Bank of Southern Africa who was contracted as an implementing agent.
Rooiwal was identified as a source of dirty water supplied to residents due to its lack of capacity to purify waste water. This resulted in sludge being discharged into the Apies River, which supplies water to Temba water treatment plant.
Tshwane deputy Mayor Nasiphi Moya urged residents of Hammanskraal to co-operate with contractors and municipal employees during the audit process of the water meters. She said the affected residents would start receiving water from their taps in phases from September this year.
“This process follows the launch of the Magalies water package plant project that was launched by the minister and the executive mayor on April 10. We need to make sure that residents have meters where those residents don’t have meters. We need to make sure that those meters are replaced or installed to ensure that we have the correct information of the account holders,” Moya said.
The process is currently underway in Hammanskraal West and it is expected to be completed by July 31.
“It is important that residents open their doors to our team,” Moya said.
Team members will carry signed letters from the City that show they are contracted to conduct the audit or are officials from the audit department.
Residents can ascertain the validity of contractors or Tshwane employees by calling 012 3589062 when in doubt.
“This process will ensure that there is clean and potable water in the taps of the residents in September as they have lived without water for more than a decade,” she said.