The provision of clean water is a daily struggle

MALALANE – Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM) is locked in a 24-hour struggle to provide clean water to town and its surrounding areas. The level where water is pumped out of the Crocodile River to the purification plant is extremely low and workers are trying their utmost to dam up enough water. Three pumps are currently being used. The council has appealed to residents to use water wisely. Watering the garden this week can be detrimental to the availability of household water and can lead to taps running try again. Last Friday certain areas of Malalane were left without running water due to the shocking state of the the river. According to water-plant manager, Ms Dudu Sifundza, the system was strained and not coping as a result of the water level, and residents who were watering their gardens put yet more strain on it. However, after some work done to channel more water towards the pumps over the weekend, there has been an improvement regarding the entire system. “On Friday the system had sucked in a lot of air, which resulted in community members having air coming out when they opened their taps. This was a result of the low levels of the river, but everything is back in order now. All three water pumps are operating efficiently after the plant maintenance team extended the sand wall which channels water to the pumps. They now all work fine and receive water,” Sifundza explained. NLM spokesman, Mr Cyril Ripinga, explained that due to there not being any rain for a long time, the river is very low and this tends to have an impact on the water-pump system. “This is a very big concern. We ask that residents use water sparingly,” Ripinga added. He said it was vital that residents avoided watering their gardens as frequently as they always did, as well as washing their vehicles. “Currently the system is recovering from last week’s setback, and it is only when everyone starts to use water sparingly that we can assure that there is clean running water at all times. We need everyone to take responsibility for preserving and using water wisely,” Ripinga continued. Furthermore, he added they were considering reinforcing the penalty policy for those of failed to comply with water restrictions. He said, “There are those who are refusing to comply with water restrictions. They water their gardens and wash their vehicles as they wish. They will be fined if they continue to do so, and are caught, as their actions are affecting everyone.” On Monday this newspaper visited the water plant and was given a tour. Every detail as to how the water is purified before making its way to residents’ taps was explained and demonstrated to Corridor Gazette.