White River taps run dry

White River was without water for yet another day as a result of load-shedding and continuous leaks.
According to ward councillor Rowan Torr, the area is constantly battling without water since the introduction of load-shedding, even though the town does not have it.

“White River has old infrastructure, and recently, we experienced many water leaks. Most had been repaired, but we still have areas with leakages. However, at the moment the main cause of water shortage is load-shedding, because our water reservoir is running dry. Our water comes from the pump station in Mbombela where they do have load-shedding,” he explained.

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Torr also said the City of Mbombela had appointed a contractor to investigate and identify old water reticulation infrastructure in order to update the water network plan. “The intention is to replace the asbestos pipes that are bursting because of increased pressure and upgrades to the elevated reservoir storage capacities feeding the town.”

The vice chairperson of White River Ratepayers Association, Pierre du Preez, said load-shedding is not the sole problem. Water leakages are the other reason for the town not having sufficient water for households. “This problem started before load-shedding. The entire water infrastructure needs to be replaced, because even if the water leaks are repaired, the pipes burst again after a few days,” he said.