BREAKING NEWS – Water shortages for as long as load shedding continues

After a week of water shortages all over the city, consumers will most likely have to accept that this challenge will seemingly be part of everyday life for as long as load shedding continues.
After Eskom’s recent announcement that maintenance of energy infrastructure will in the future be a priority despite the fact that it will impact on the availability of sufficient and sustained supply to consumers, pumping from the city’s water sources will be affected on a regular basis.
Polokwane Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng explained at a community meeting at Flora Park Comprehensive Primary School last Thursday that the levels of the city’s reservoirs are dependent on the pumping capacity of the complete supply line and if any one of the pumping stations on the 93 km line from the Olifantspoort water treatment plant is affected by load shedding, the whole line is stopped. The fact that the pump stations are within different load shedding zones, multiplies the effect.
Communications and Marketing Manager of the municipality, Matshidiso Mothapo confirmed earlier this morning (Monday) that details of further interventions by the municipality to ensure that more water reach higher catchment areas will be announced within the next week.
Currently the level of the Potgieter Street reservoir is at 0%, while the three reservoirs at Krugersburg are at 28%, 17% and 22% respectively. The Seshego resevoir is at 5% while pumping from the Olifantspoort plant and Ebenezer Dam is at 95 l/sec and 205 l/sec respectively.

Story: BARRY VILJOEN
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