Air Force Base Reservoir struggles to provide for Hoedspruit town
The rapid growth of Hoedspruit has led to the reservoir at the Air Force Base being put under immense pressure leading to burst pipes.
The reservoir supplies Hoedspruit residents with water. Maj Cecilia Tseuoa, corporate communication officer of the Air Force Base Hoedspruit, confirmed that the population growth has deemed the reservoir insufficient. “The water purification plant was built in 1980 for Air Force Base Hoedspruit and the Drakensig community to provide for an estimated capacity of 1 500 people. “At the time, the base decided to provide water to the Hoedspruit town as there was no municipality back then.
“The Hoedspruit town has since expanded, and the reservoirs at the base are struggling to provide water for the whole Hoedspruit town. “The water levels fluctuate from 60%, 10%, or even 0%. The base is the last on the water line, so when water is used in agriculture, the base is left with very little water,” she said. “With the current state of the water infrastructure, it would be irresponsible to allow further development in town without first upgrading the water and sanitation infrastructure,” she said.
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Mopani District Municipality spokesperson Odas Ngobeni said there are negotiations underway between the Department of Public Works and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to take over the operation and maintenance of the Water Treatment Works (WTW). “The ultimate plan is to upgrade the plant by 5 megalitre to at least 10.3 megalitre capacity. The WTW is in an ideal location for proper supply to Hoedspruit.
However, the pace of the engagements is slow, to the extent that we are also exploring other options which may include constructing a new water treatment works from scratch.” He said the Hoedspruit Bulk Water Supply Project was stalled due to challenges with land availability. “We were due to construct a 5.2 megalitre reservoir to help with increased water supply in town.
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The local municipality has made land available and we are revising the technical reports for approval by the Department of Water and Sanitation. We will resume construction once funding is secured,” he said. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Water and Sanitation said they will comment on the issue once all information is gathered.
