Still no water, 12 days later …
After a power outage at the Eikenhof pump station, parts of Kagiso are still struggling with little to no water more than a week later.
Following a power outage earlier this month, it seems that some parts of Mogale City are still struggling with low to no water pressure.
• Also read: Parts of Mogale City face water shortages
A statement from the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) explained that following the City Power outage at the Orlando Power Station on June 8 which affected pumping water at Rand Water’s Eikenhof pump station, there is still water issues.
“Some parts of Mogale are still experiencing no water supply or low water pressure.
This said, the incident has negatively affected the pumping of water into the Kagiso reservoir resulting in lower reservoir levels which have affected water supply longer than anticipated.”
MCLM said for them to supply water to its full capacity, the Kagiso reservoir must be at a minimum level of 5m or above. This means the pumps can automatically switch on and pump water into the tower.
“Over the last few days, levels at the reservoir have been ranging between 0.2m and 2m, thus limiting the pumping of water. At these levels, pumps can’t automatically switch on, and are thus manually operated to prevent damage as a result, higher-lying areas including parts of Kagiso Central, Extension 2, 6 and 8 receiving water from the tower are affected most during these operations.”
• Also read: Mogale residents to brace for possible water interruptions
The statement explained that while the municipality is engaging with Rand Water and are waiting for an updated report, they are pleading with consumers who still have water, to reduce their consumption. They are also asking the public to refrain from trying to store water by filling bathtubs and other containers.
These actions and not using water sparingly drop water levels in the reservoir as it does not get a chance to fill up.”
The municipality said they will continue to provide water through tankers and updates from Rand Water will be available on the municipal website, local media and WhatsApp notices as soon as it is received.
“Ward councillors that need water tankers are urged to direct their request for water tankers to the MMC for Infrastructure Development Services: Clr Peter Modise on 084 971 0283. Members of the community should also note that it is undesirable and not cost-effective to the municipality when water tankers remain stationary in an area and waiting for water to be collected whereas another affected area could be serviced during that lost and costly time.”
They apologised for the inconvenience and request patience and understanding.
