No quick fix to Nelsville’s water problems

Nelsville residents are up in arms following nearly a week without water supply. Long-time resident, Mary Schatz, was vocal about her dissatisfaction after returning to a home with no running water.

“We have not had a drop of water since Sunday. Each time Silulumanzi dispatches a team to repair the burst pipes, it provides quick-fix solutions.

“The residents, meanwhile, cannot flush their toilets, while they sit in air-conditioned offices,” she said.

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Schatz expressed her concern about the ageing water supply infrastructure not having been upgraded in 40 years.

“Nelsville was established so long ago and not once has Silulumanzi upgraded any of the supply pipes. We feel marginalised. This situation cannot continue.

“We cannot do basic things such as washing or brushing our teeth. How do we go to work without having tended to the most basic hygiene needs?”

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Silulumanzi spokesperson, Richard Jele, confirmed that Nelsville was without water last week. He explained that this occurred after a pipe burst in Wallace Street.

“One of the pipes was situated under an electrical transformer. As a result, the electricity had to be cut to ensure the safety of the technicians on site. Shortly afterwards, another pipe burst in a different section of Nelsville,” he said.

Jele added that the entire pipeline needs to be replaced and that plans were under way for a complete shutdown to upgrade the existing infrastructure. This will cause interruptions to the power supply, but would be a long-term solution for residents.

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Ward 17 councillor, Sanley van der Merwe, has been in talks with the water  utility to ascertain what solutions it proposed and the time frames that residents could expect.

“Since last Saturday evening, about 12 pipes have burst in the streets. The affected streets included Greaver, Wallace, Schatz, Jonker, Francis and Cohen,” she said.

Van der Merwe explained that the streets mentioned all lie on the lower end of Nelsville where there is low pressure in the pipes.

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“The infrastructure is also old, but it’s not so much about the lifespan. If managed properly, it can last quite a while.”

She alluded to similar issues which occurred last year that prompted her to engage with Silulumanzi, after which a decision was taken to upgrade the water reticulation system in Nelsville.

“It started with the bulk water line and reticulation in the Nelspruit area. In 2019, the bulk line and sewerage upgrades in Hyper Valley were completed.

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“The next step was to move on to Nelsville from the descent at Jonker Street that experiences high water pressure. Fire hydrants were installed to regulate the pressure manually.

“The budget had also been approved to start replacing the asbestos pipes with PVC pipes, along Jonker, Wallace and Greaver streets,” she added.

According to the councillor, a number of factors had put the project on hold. The most significant was the Covid-19 lockdown that forced the water utility to service critical areas during that period.

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“As a water supplier, Silulumanzi was also hard-hit financially due to non-payment of services and other Covid-19 factors, but it has committed to start replacing the asbestos pipes in December.

“They have yet to confirm where the best place will be to start, but digging will commence on Tuesday to replace four new air valves at the corner of Greaver and Jonker streets, at the bottom of Cohen Street and the corner of Evans and Jonker streets.”

Van der Merwe said that, once the water supply is restored, Silulumanzi will look at the root causes and pressure  management.

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“The entire reticulation system cannot be replaced in one go. It needs to be done on a section by section basis. For now, the air valves and air release valves are a priority.”

She mentioned that a section of the asbestos piping will be replaced by next week and further work is expected to commence in January to determine which would be the next section.

To this end, a community meeting was scheduled for 18:00 last Wednesday at the Nelsville Community Hall.

“I understand the community’s frustration and have invited executives from the City of Mbombela Local Municipality to address the residents,” she concluded.