Numerous residents with boreholes are helping their fellow citizens in the areas around Bronkhorstspruit where household taps are dry.
These residents have heeded the plight and placed pipes outside their yards so their neighbourhoods can have clean water. The City of Tshwane (CoT) closed the water supply to the Bronkhorstspruit/Zithobeni Reservoir on March 7.
They redirected all water to Ekangala, Ekandustria and Rethabiseng as an interim measure to balance the system to ensure equitable distribution of water in the region.
This intervention brought much-needed relief as all areas that did not have water for long periods are now receiving water, except for the high-lying areas.
The intervention of balancing the system continued on March 8 and ended on the morning of March 9, when the valves were re-opened for the water supply to be restored to the Bronkhorstspruit/Zithobeni Reservoir.
Jabu Mabona, regional head of Region Seven said water tankers would continue to be dispatched to all the affected areas.
“Residents are requested to cooperate with the authorities and allow the safe passage of the tankers to the areas where they are needed. The pump and motor will at the latest be installed on March 13.”
Restoration of the water supply to the affected areas will then commence and more areas will begin to receive water due to the increased pumping capacity from Wednesday onwards.
According to Mabona, a fruitful and constructive meeting was held on March 10 with the Gauteng MEC for MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and Local Government Mzi Khumalo and a representative from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation to discuss water supply challenges in Region Seven.
They exchanged technical information and the city provided plans and timelines. Selby Bokaba, acting group head for communications, marketing and events for CoT said in a media statement the city understood the frustration the water outage has caused and appreciated the residents’ patience during this difficult period.
“The water outage was caused by the breakdown of a pump at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant.
“The CoT is working on a long-term plan to not just repair the pumps in a breakdown, but to entirely replace the current ones.”
Bokaba said efforts are underway to procure new pumps.
“Two pumps will be ordered for the plant and additional capacity will be sourced for technical skills required to improve the management of the plant.
“The city will erect a new fence around the plant to better secure it and prevent access conducive for sabotage and arson,” said Bokaba.
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Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation David Mahloba also held an emergency intervention meeting on March 10 at the MEGA HQ offices in Ekandustria.
During this meeting, attendees concluded the Bronkhorstspruit Water Purification Plant is no longer functional due to neglect and the national government will urgently intervene.
The Tshwane MMC for Utility Services was invited to the meeting but did not attend. Mahloba said schools must continue as normal because they supplied sufficient water to all schools.
“The intervention intends to create an all-inclusive structure to find short, medium and long-term solutions to the crisis.
“A larger team will then be activated to implement and resolve the findings of the preliminary report,” said Mahloba.
