An emergency water supply interruption affected several Germiston CBD suburbs on March 18.
The metro explained that the water supply interruption, which lasted until 4pm, had been implemented so that defective water valves could be replaced.
“The interruption affected Germiston CBD and meant that there was no water in several suburbs and at the Germiston Police Station and Bertha Gxowa Hospital,” explained Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro.
“During the supply interruption, water tankers supplied water to the Bertha Gxowa Hospital to ensure that the water levels in the hospital’s storage tank were kept above 75 per cent to give supply to the internal wards network and accommodate any possible emergency incidents, such as a fire.”
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However, the DA’s Jack Bloom (DA Gauteng shadow MEC for health) claimed this was not the case.
“Bertha Gxowa Hospital had to cancel operations and divert patients because of a failure of water supply from the metro,” Bloom stated in a press release.
“I visited the hospital last Friday after receiving reports that the hospital had run out of water the day before.”
He further claimed that maternity and casualty patients had to be diverted to other hospitals as a result of the water interruption.
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Dr Jatin Ganda, acting CEO of the Bertha Gxowa Hospital, denied the claims that the hospital ran out of water or had to cancel operations.
“Though the water interruption was not planned, or communicated to the hospital, our services continued uninterrupted with one exception,” Ganda explained.
“The exception was maternity priority patients who were diverted to other hospitals, for between four to six hours, while the hospital’s 140 000L reservoir was being filled.
“The metro provided continual water tankers to replenish the water reservoir.”
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