Relief flows back to Brakpan as Mapleton Pump Station resumes operations
After a dry and difficult weekend marked by long queues and desperate searches for water, Brakpan residents are finally seeing their taps run again.
Rand Water has reported that all work on the B16 project has been completed and that pumping at Mapleton Pump Station has commenced.
After a challenging weekend without water, taps slowly starting running again on Monday, bringing relief to many households and businesses.
The interruption affected the whole of Brakpan, as well as some suburbs and areas in neighbouring towns. Water tankers were dispatched, and desperate residents patiently queued for hours over the weekend to fill up containers and buckets.
Scores of people were seen lined up at the stationary water tank in Rook Street in Brenthurst. Rook Street resident Dedree Soobramoney (28) told the Brakpan Herald she was very grateful for the water tank because she had no other means of getting water for her household.
On Sunday, she waited patiently in a long queue to fill containers but said she had no choice other than to be patient.
Wayne La Grange from Trollip Street fetched water from the same point on both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, he was in the queue for more than two hours.
“The water provided to us is appreciated, but it would have helped if the water tank was fitted with more taps. Only one person at a time can fill their containers, and it takes very long. However, at least we have access to water,” said La Grange.
Adriaan Kleynhans (68) from Prince George Avenue said he was not fully aware of the impact the maintenance work would have.
“I heard from friends that we might not have water for a day or two, but I had no idea that our taps would dry up completely. I cannot afford to buy water, so I have no choice but to fall in line and wait my turn to get water. I suppose we should be happy that maintenance is being done,” he said.
Riaan Marais, a Withok resident who frequently provides borehole water in times of shortage to residents, assisted again and delivered water to residents at the Tweedy Park Old Age Home and Weltevreden Flats.
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Freedom Front Plus PR Clr Riaan van Zyl joined Marais and helped residents fill containers with water. By Tuesday morning, some areas of Brakpan had been fully restored, while others were still experiencing low pressure.
This is a result of the system needing to build capacity following the completion of maintenance. Low-lying areas recover first, while high-lying areas may take longer.
According to Rand Water, the objective of this planned maintenance is to increase capacity and improve plant availability, reliability, and operational efficiency, thereby supporting a more resilient and adaptable water supply network in preparation for the anticipated increase in supply volumes from August.
This maintenance work, which started during the early hours of last Thursday morning, saw the connection of the newly constructed B16 pipeline, which will be supplying water from the new Station 5 at Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant to Engine Room 3 at Mapleton. The work was completed ahead of schedule.
