Broken pump causes water cuts in Forderville and Rensburgdrift
"The pipe had accumulated too much air pressure due to the fact that our pump had been broken and no water was flowing. We had to open up many water hydrants to release the pressure from the pipe so that water can flow"
Uthukela District Municipality has concluded that a problematic main pipe between Forderville and Papkuilsfontein was the cause of the weeklong water interruptions that plagued some residents recently.
Residents in part of Forderville and Rensburgdrift were left without water or experienced frequent water cuts during the week of February 1 until February 8.
Frustration reached boiling point when residents were not given clear answers about the cause of the water interruptions or when it would be resolved.
Last week Uthukela District Municipality responded by saying that engineers were busy trying to ascertain the root cause of the problem, at the time of going to print, this had not been established.
On Monday morning, the district municipality’s Communication Manager Jabulani Mkhonza had a clearer picture regarding the water cuts.
Mr Mkhonza explained that engineers had discovered a problem with the main pipe from the reservoir between Forderville and Papkuilsfontein.
“The pipe had accumulated too much air pressure due to the fact that our pump had been broken and no water was flowing. We had to open up many water hydrants to release the pressure from the pipe so that water can flow,” he explained.
Mr Mkhonza reassures the affected residents that ‘the situation is now under control’ and apologises on behalf of the district municipality for any inconvenience caused.
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