Residents are still highly frustrated with water problems that continue to plague certain areas in town.
Residents in Kingsview and Hillsview have been struggling with leaking pipes, bad water pressure, brown water or sometimes no water at all for months. One woman of Kingsview, Ms Yvette Abercrombie, said the water pressure was so bad that she could only use her washing machine or dishwasher before six in the morning or very late at night. She had also reported a leaking pipe several times but said she was told by the municipality that it was a fountain. The fountain, however, dries up whenever the town’s reservoir is empty.
Ms Anne Sevenster, another Kingsview resident, commented that they did not have water some mornings. She claimed that the water only returned at around lunchtime.
During scheduled canal maintenance from May 20 to June 26, many residents and business owners were so frustrated by the lack of water that they bought water tanks. Ms Betsie Ioannou of Telestai Guest House said a party of tourists booked out of her establishment when they couldn’t shower. She ended up buying 20 000-litre water tanks to avoid further financial losses.
According to Mbombela Local Municipality, an augmentation line from Sembcorp Silulumanzi had been used to ensure that residents were not too badly inconvenienced. Residents were, however, asked to use water sparingly as the municipality was struggling to keep the reservoirs full while the canals were being cleaned.
Upon enquiries, Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for the municipality, said Sevenster’s problem is due to a house owner constructing a new swimming pool and damaging a municipal pipe.
The owner repaired the pipe but reported that there was water coming out underneath the house. They tried channeling it to a small garden, which caused the water to leak through a wall into Rooibos Street. After municipal workers checked the pipe layout, they found that there is only one pipeline adjacent to the swimming pool, which was damaged during construction.
The plan is now to do leak detection in the building, but Ngala said that the owner was unavailable until Monday (July 21).
To register complaints regarding water, residents should contact the White River Water and Sanitation office on 013-750-6021/6000.
