The Herald has received comment from the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) regarding the removal of the Watermaster machine from the Brakpan Dam.
The Watermaster was removed on Monday.
Read the previous story here: Infestation plaguing local waterway still unresolved
City spokesperson Themba Gadebe confirmed this was due to an emergency at Middle Lake in Benoni.
“The dam wall at Middle lake cracked sometime late in December,” he explained.
“A task team has been formed to avert a disaster that could occur had the dam wall not been attended to.
“This would mean loss to properties and possibly lives.
“The task team has since managed to lower the water level and started working on the dam wall using siphon pumps.
“Whilst this has been effective to a large extent, the water hyacinth keeps clogging the pipes and this prevents the pumps working optimally.
“With the Watermaster currently being the only equipment at the disposal of CoE, the city had to remove the Watermaster from the Brakpan Dam as a matter of urgency.
“The Watermaster will be returned to the Brakpan Dam as soon as the work in Benoni is complete.”
The Herald asked what action the city will be taking in order to deal with the hyacinth problem and the general sorry state of the Brakpan Dam, to which Gadebe replied: “The department will procure other equipment to augment the work of the Watermaster.
“Due to the extent of the problem at the Brakpan Dam, it requires more equipment to physically remove the alien invasive plant.
“It is only after there is considerable progress with the clearance that the biological method will be explored to manage the growth.
“We envisage that operations can take between 12 to 18 months.”
Also read: Development offers hope for Brakpan Dam
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