Last minute Olifantspoort shutdown to affect Polokwane’s water supply
The Polokwane Municipality says it requested a postponement of the shutdown to allow reservoir levels to recover but that it was denied due to the urgency of repairs by Eskom.
POLOKWANE – A 12-hour water supply stoppage at the Olifantspoort Plant will affect the already strained supply in the city today.
The last minute announcement was made by Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) late on Wednesday evening via the Polokwane Municipality.
The stoppage came into effect at 06:00 this morning and will run through to 18:00 as Eskom works on the pump station 2 line, said municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala.
“Noting that reservoir levels were just starting to recover after the same line experienced infrastructure vandalism and constant power outages on the Ebenezer line, the municipality requested LNW to engage Eskom to postpone the stoppage as this would have negative impact on the recovery and water supply to customers. However, Eskom said it has to continue with the work because there is a serious fault that frequently interrupts supply to the pump station and to customers,” Selala’s statement read.
He added that Eskom deems the fault a “serious safety risk that cannot be postponed anymore”.
Water tankers will be dispatched to areas in need until reservoir levels recover.
