AbaQulusi’s water woes are reportedly ‘far from over’.
Residents who are fortunate enough to have water tanks at their disposal, are advised to keep them filled.
“Our water problems are going to continue for a long time,” stated Ward 8 Councillor, Magda Viktor.
She referred despondently to the ageing municipal infrastructure, which is said to be ‘long past its shelf life’ and has deteriorated to the point where burst pipes have become a regular occurrence.
According to Cllr Viktor – who has been vocal on social media regarding recent water shortages, which saw taps run dry in the Sasko area, Wards 8 and 9 and the Vryheid CBD last week – it will cost around R380-million to replace the infrastructure.
“It’s probably more now,” she added. “That is an old figure from a while ago.”
Cllr Viktor’s startling claims have come as a shock to some, but others note the infrastructure is at least 50 years old, and she said most of the water pipes were still pressed asbestos and cement.
“As we repair the pipes, they are being replaced with PVC or UPVC pipes.”
Last week, Vryheid residents were advised to make provision for water until Saturday, after a series of unfortunate events led to several pipes bursting, and left certain areas without running water for days.
“There were at least four or five burst pipes over this period,” stated Cllr Viktor. “Many were in inaccessible areas and special equipment had to be brought in from everywhere. The team worked very hard to get things going again.”
Panic set in after it was discovered most of the water collection points would not be opened, as they too were affected by the pipe fault. The water collection point at the Paddadam appeared to be the only source of water for Vryheid residents and, only on Saturday night was water supply restored to certain areas.
On Sunday, a message was broadcast stating: “The fault has been fixed. The water is running into [the] reservoir and by late afternoon all should have water.”
Water Manager for AbaQulusi Municipality, Nathi Mbongwa explained that while his team is committed to repairing burst pipes as swiftly as possible, as and when the need arises, it should be noted that historically, plummeting winter temperatures are often the cause. This is due to the impact of the cold on the already fragile asbestos pipes, which have yet to be replaced.
“All of the bursts so far have been on the asbestos pipes,” he confirmed. “In the winter season, this is to be expected and some of these major bursts we attended to recently, forced the team to work round the clock. We are doing our best to rectify the situation and respond and work as swiftly as possible.”
Also read: Vryheid CBD water supply left high and dry
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