White River taps run dry, yet again
This recent water shortage was caused by the dismantling of the four water pumps that supply water to Phumlani and Bundu, leaving White River and Hillsview water reservoirs without water to supply residential areas.
Water has been restored to some parts of the White River area that once again have been without it, this time for more than five days.
The vice chairperson of the White River Ratepayers & Residents Association, Pierre du Preez, is threatening a mass march to the City of Mbombela (CoM) if the problem is not resolved immediately.
Despite CoM’s promises to address the situation permanently, there is still no light at the end of this particular and long-lasting dark tunnel for the town’s residents. According to a ward councillor, Rowan Torr, all four pumps supplying Phumlani and Bundu with water had been dismantled simultaneously, leaving White River and Hillview water reservoirs without water to supply residential areas.
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He said the progress in installing a backup generator at the Bochrand Pump Station is moving at a snail’s pace. It is hoped that this would relieve White River’s water problems, especially during the load-shedding, but as always, this is taking very long to manifest.
“The fact that they switched all pumps off at the same time is a problem on its own, because now there is no water supply at all. They should have repaired one pump at a time so that residents would not have to stay without it for days,” Torr said.
He said water in the elevated areas is still a problem, but CoM management believes its plans will sort out the crisis in town. However, when this will happen is unclear. To resolve the issue in the area, the municipality needs the following: the erection of a 7ML reservoir at the Bochrand Pump Station, the replacement of all asbestos pipes and the upgrading of the water network in White River at a cost of about R25m per year over the next three years, as per the IDP. Furthermore, a completely new 12ML White River treatment plant with a direct 6km pipe feed from Longmere Dam. Unless these are addressed urgently, these water woes will persist, he said.
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Du Preez, speaking on behalf of the affected ratepayer residents, said people are tired of the water problems and promises because they are paying for services as expected. “Despite this, we continue to struggle to get clean water or we don’t have any. Some of the households are getting brown water from their taps, which raises health hazards.
He also said, while they are grateful for the water tankers, it is merely a temporary solution and residents demand a permanent and sustainable solution.
The CoM spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, had not responded to the newspaper’s queries by the time of going to press.
