Since Tuesday, residents of Khutsong have had to deal with water shortages brought about by repair work on the Khutsong Extension 3 reservoir.
The Herald recently reported that leaks at the reservoir, which is apparently situated on top of a forming sinkhole, have steadily become much worse. By the end of last month, the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that water from the reservoir was flooding the adjacent cemetery. The Merafong City Local Municipality acknowledged that the leaking reservoir was a growing concern. On Monday, the municipality confirmed that it had started to repair the reservoir, but warned that this would lead to water problems throughout a large part of Khutsong.
“Merafong City Local Municipality would like to inform residents of Old Khutsong that they will be without running water as from tomorrow, 14 July 2015, until further notice,” a municipal spokesperson announced.
“The interruption in the water supply has been caused by the infrastructure failure at Khutsong’s main reservoir at Extension 3’s taxi rank. The crisis started with a severe leak that could still have disastrous consequences in a highly dolomitic area. If we continue to use the reservoir under the current circumstances, and if the structure fails because of sinkhole formation, it could pose a danger to human life,” he said.
Khutsong Extension 4 and the new Khutsong extensions will not be affected by this interruption in water supply.
Contingency plans are being put in place to ensure that basic water will be provided for the community of Old Khutsong. A loud-hailer will be used to communicate where and when, water will be available in the various areas.
