Load-shedding’s impact on water supply: LNW explains
Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) media liaison officer Yolande Nel says a two-hour interruption because of load-shedding, has a significantly longer-lasting impact at their plants.
POLOKWANE – Water woes in the municipal area is a common occurrence for residents.
From leakages to pump failures, there are a multitude of challenges, according to water utility Lepelle Northern Water (LNW), that may affect water supply.
One of these common challenges is load-shedding, says LNW media liaison officer Yolande Nel.
“As the implementation of load-shedding has returned, LNW operations continue to be adversely affected and, in turn, the situation continues to have a huge impact on bulk water supply
to customers and consumers,” she explains in a statement.
Nel says a two-hour interruption as a result of load-shedding has a significantly longer impact at their plants. “The reduction in power supply to LNW’s plants affects operations as these facilities require six to eight hours at a time to restart and recuperate from an average two hours without electricity. During the recovery time, water pressure is required to build up again
for storage reservoirs to fill up to acceptable levels, which contributes to unreliable water provision to consumers in affected areas,” she adds.
Nel says that power supply interruptions also lead to incidents of vandalism of their infrastructure and theft of property. “Considering the financial implications of operating stand-by generators at plants across the province and the magnitude of output required, such a mitigating measure appears to not be a solution to the persisting problem,” she concludes and pleas for residents’ patience in instances of load-shedding.
