Commitment made to resolve water challenges
The water problems in the Ba-Phalaborwa region are far from over, but at least there is a commitment by stakeholders to work together to resolve the issues.
This was established during a meeting which was called by, Let’s Change Ba-Phalaborwa (LCBP), an organisation fighting for the rights of the local community, and held at the council chambers on Wednesday, August 3. The organisation invited the Mopani District Municipality (MDM), who is the water authority, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, and the Lepelle Northern Water (LNW), to sit down and address the
water problems facing the area.
According to Rachel Longster of LCBP, the main objective of the meeting was to create a platform for the three major stakeholders to find a solution that affects the whole region and to also avail themselves as an organisation in which they can assist. Longster told the Herald that she is pleased with the outcome of the meeting, as all parties committed themselves to do their part in addressing the matter at hand.
In May this year, the organisation with other community groups held a march to the local municipal offices, demanding that water be restored, as some areas went for weeks without water. At the time the main cause for the lack of water was the long-standing water debt MDM had with LNW. A 20% restriction in water supply was therefore implemented by LNW after MDM failed to pay their installment.
Also read: Residents endure thirteen days without water
According to MDM’s spokesman, Odas Ngobeni, the district municipality, has since been paying its debt according to the agreement and emphasised that the recent water challenges in the area are not due to a financial matter. LNW has also indicated to the attendees that their challenges, including a dilapidated infrastructure, make it difficult to provide water accordingly. As a way of trying to resolve some of the problems, LNW will do a complete water shutdown, where they will be fixing pipes from Thursday, August 11-12.
They will also be calling on experts to see how they can resolve the issue of water distribution from the reservoirs. Longster concluded by stating that there are other issues that still need to be fixed between the three parties, but the fact that they all met is the first step in the right direction. Follow Let’s Change BaPhalaborwa on Facebook for more information on the community work they do.
