POLOKWANE – Water-shedding is now a reality for residents withing the Polokwane municipal area.
This was announced at a press conference this morning (Wednesday) by the Municipal Manager, Dikgape Makobe, who said this would affect both the city and rural areas.
Read more: Polokwane: Water-shedding starts tonight
The aim of the process is to supply water equally to higher lying areas, which now go days without any water due to reservoir levels being too low, with not enough pressure to supply them with water, and other areas.
Makobe said water supply of all reservoirs will be cut of from 20:00 to 04:00 with immediate effect, to enable water levels of reservoirs to be replenished and people in higher-lying areas to have water at around 06:00 and in the evenings, for basic house functions, such as cooking.
Rural areas will have water three to four days a week and ward councillors will explain the necessity of these unavoidable steps to residents in their wards.
Water restrictions and loadshedding
He said water restrictions were imposed by the Department of Water and Sanitation due to the extreme low levels of water of the Ebenezer dam (currently below 21, 66%), and this, coupled with loadshedding, and old infrastructure of the Lepelle Northern Water Board which often leads to pipe bursts, currently have a serious effect on water supply to the city, and on getting reservoir levels increased to a level where every resident has access to water. Makobe said there are not a lot of consumers on the line servicing the Ebenezer dam’s supply line to Polokwane, and he had previously asked Eskom to exclude the line from loadshedding.
Loadshedding affects the water supply to the city, as, except for the time during loadshedding when there is no water supply, it also takes up to four hours after starting the pumps again, for water to flow the 70km to reach the city’s reservoirs.
Loadshedding has affected water treatment plants and pump stations twice every 24 hours for the past two weeks.
The Department of Water Affairs issued a directive to reduce abstraction by 20% from both Olifants and Ebenezer schemes in August last year, and a further directive to reduce abstraction by 15% was enforced last month. Potable water to the city was thus reduced by LNW by the same amount. Segwashi, Boyne, Ga-Mamabolo, Ga-Molepo, Mentz, Badimong, Mankweng, Ga-Thoka, Ga-Mothiba, Dalmada and the Seshego and city supply area are affected by restrictions from the Ebenezer scheme.
Restrictions from the Olifants scheme will affect the Ga-Maja area and surrounding villages as well as the city.
Current shortages
Makobe said the combined bulk water supply from the Dap Naudé, Ebenezer and Olifants schemes is inadequate and cannot meet the current demand for water in the city’s supply area, with a deficit of 30 Megalitres per day.
The municipality thus had no alternative but to introduce water-shedding to facilitate water distribution to all areas of supply, Makobe said.
Accumulating water during night time in reservoirs will lead to better pressure in the pipes when water is released in the mornings.
Interventions
The municipality and LNW have planned and prepared short, medium and long term interventions aimed at contributing more water to the city. The municipality, through its underground water project aims to add 20 Megalitres per day to the city’s water supply, and this is to be operational in March next year. LNW has completed a 10Ml package plant at Olifantspoort and is currently testing the water. They are also refurbishing dysfunctional pumps at both plants. “It is not a simple issue for LNW to raise the money to replace the pipeline,” Makobe said.
The municipality is also looking at reducing the amount of water pressure from taps, including flow control valves to be instilled at businesses and households, as part of water conservation measures.
Eskom and the Lepelle Northern Water Board were invited to attend the press conference, but did not pitch up.
Makobe said the municipality wants to implement the weir-system again in the Sand River to add to the underground water level and possibly extract water from a source in Magoebaskloof, as the water sourced from Ebenezer will only in 20 years’ time be enough to supply to the growing communities between the dam and the city, with no water left for the city.
Once the new regional waste water scheme has been concluded, water will be reclaimed from the treatment works, adding 15 to 20 Megalitre water per day to the city’s supply. Experts from Finland will assist with the process of reclaiming water.
Makobe said the population growth of the city was not matched with a growth in water supply to the city, and he urged consumers to make water conservation a way of life and to hold hands to safeguard this precious resource.
nelie@nmgroup.co.za
