Northmead Water Tower to be completed in 2024
The City of Ekurhuleni executive mayor, Sivuyile Ngodwana and his MMCs were in Benoni on August 25 to look at some issues affecting the community.
The installation of a 500kva generator at the Northmead water tower will ensure that residents will continue to have water even during load-shedding.
The generator was commissioned in June after residents faced water cuts during power outages.
This was confirmed to the Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Sivuyile Ngodwana, and his MMCs during the municipality’s Masisebenzeni Outreach Programme on August 25.
Ngodwana and his team started at the water tower to check up on the progress of the construction. They then moved to the Actonville Hostel where they were told about the challenges faced by the residents.
They concluded their visit in Wattville where several issues in the area were identified and dealt with.
The mayor heard that in a year, the Vlakfontein reservoir will have less pressure when the Northmead water tower begins providing water to residents.
Ward 27 Clr Lornette Joseph said one of the challenges with the tower was the telematics system which couldn’t work when the power went off.
“The team have done their best to have a generator here so that when load-shedding hits, one generator kicks on the pumps and the other kicks on the telematics system so that we won’t have many problems,” she said.
Joseph said one of the solutions was to put in a battery with an inverter, which was confirmed by the contractor that the battery is currently in place.
“Residents will be able to have water every day, even during power cuts,” Joseph said.
The Actonville Hostel is set to be revamped to curb the mushrooming of shacks, which are going to be demolished and replaced with new units.
According to the city, the redevelopment of the 70-year-old hostel will better the living conditions of the residents, who live in an appalling environment.
The whole place is engulfed by raw sewer that forms several streams while the communal toilets don’t work. There are also illegal connections of water, which have resulted in pipes bursting.
Despite the city’s efforts to provide cleaning services through a service provider, illegal dumping remained a challenge.
“Illegal connections of water also lead to bursting sewer pipes and unauthorised electricity connections throughout the hostel. We need your support in reporting such incidents to ensure everyone’s safety,” the mayor urged the residents.
In Wattville, the city’s Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture promised to deal with the business that is operating illegally on a football field on Tame Street.
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