Phalaborwa faces water crisis as infrastructure fails
Lepelle Northern Water has introduced a 24-hour rotational water shedding schedule in Phalaborwa after flood damage to key infrastructure.
PHALABORWA – In order to give a temporary solution to the water scarcity in Phalaborwa, the Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) has implemented a rotational 24-hour water shedding schedule.
This stems from the recently damaged water infrastructure, including the 546 mm main pipe, which was washed away by the floods.
On Saturday, February 14, LNW released a press statement which stated that the 24-hour cycle started with Namakgale from 06:00 to 06:00 and the rotation will move to Phalaborwa town and Lulekani.
The letter states that the sequence will continue until system capacity improves and normal operations can be restored. LNW says that it is using a reinstated 560 mm bulk pipeline that was previously damaged to provide services.
Although this seems like a solution, some parts of town still do not have access to water, and it has caused serious strain to residents.
In the meantime, the FF Plus is calling on the establishment of a multi-sectoral task team consisting of members of the community, business owners, mines, and government to achieve self-determination over water in Phalaborwa.
The political party encourages residents to proactively explore joint ownership of water supply schemes and community-managed boreholes, so they no longer need to rely on failing municipal and provincial systems.
“This decay is the direct result of years of neglect; even the water that does reach the system is lost before it reaches the consumer.
“Although a 560 mm line was temporarily repaired to try to stabilise the town’s water supply, it has developed ongoing faults and six new leaks, necessitating all pumping operations to be stopped.
“Operational capacity is further constrained by the removal of the 6AB pump set, with one unit being declared irreparable.
“Replacing it is expected to take up to twenty working weeks,” the party says.
The party says its greatest cause of concern for them is that the CEO of LNW, Dr Cornelius Ruiters, failed to set out a comprehensive long-term plan for rebuilding the Selati River infrastructure.
“This glaring failure leaves the FF Plus with the clear impression that no such plan exists, meaning that Phalaborwa residents may have to survive with taps running dry for months to come.”
The party says it will keep pressuring the relevant authorities but wishes to emphasise that the secret to security lies in community-driven resilience and moving away from dependence on incompetent state entities.
Several stakeholders are also concerned about the state of infrastructure in Phalaborwa, including Lets Change Ba-Phalaborwa and the DA.
