The DA says it is leading the charge in getting answers over the recent water crisis and the extremely poor response from the metro.
The week-long water shortages stem from power outages at a major pump station in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, causing reservoirs to run dry.
Due to poor contingency planning and maintenance, a large part of Ekurhuleni has been hard hit by water shortages, and unless immediate action is taken this crisis is set to be far more severe than it ought to have been.
In any well-run metro, contingency plans should exist and be put into action immediately.
If the metro had alerted residents to use water sparingly, affected areas would have been less hard-hit, and the metro would have had plenty of time to implement contingency measures.
“It is an absolute disgrace that the metro tried to blame residents for water outages, citing high water usage in the heat wave, when it was clear that other factors were in play.
“The metro’s failure to react swiftly to avoid the crisis is symptomatic of poor governance,” said Bruna Haipel, for the DA.
“Not only is the metro’s disaster management ill-equipped to immediately and regularly send water to affected areas, but its existing fleet of water tankers cannot possibly meet demand – while unable to seek private assistance due to its cumbersome tender processes.”
The DA has requested a report on both the original problem, as well as which plans were in place and what steps were taken to ensure that the water shortages had as little impact on residents as possible.
The DA will have representatives at every one of the water crisis meetings to be held in the metro this evening.
I have lived in this area for 48years
And it never ever was like this
With incompotent people running the show
They will try to blame others
Just look at crime in the germiston area
With escom incapable to supply what do expect
We are residents in the Dawnview area. To date the taps are dry from Saturday 20 September 2014. Other areas within a 5 km radius have water for at least an hour or so in the day. In the area that we live the taps are dry. We have not had the chance to fill up bottles or buckets. No communication or feedback given from the council. There have been no water trucks coming to the Dawnview area.