Lomati’s water level dangerously low
According to Sam Jele, ULM spokesman, the current level of the Lomati Dam indicates that the water will last up to the end of January without rainfall.
Residents in the Umjindi Local Municipality (ULM) area might suffer water shortages in the near future if they don’t start using it sparingly.
According to Sam Jele, ULM spokesman, the current level of the Lomati Dam indicates that the water will last up to the end of January without rainfall.
The senior management of Umjindi recently conducted an inspection of Lomati Dam. Jele said the objective was to assess the status of the water level. Among the management were Jaco Landsburg, director of electrical services and acting director for civil services, Comfort Makhanaya, director for community services and Dr Derrick Ndlovu, director for corporate services.
“Due to the poor rainfall experienced over the previous season, this has resulted in the current status of the Lomati Dam level being less than 22 per cent. The low water level calls for municipality to implement tough restrictions on water usage,” Jele said.
He said the municipality had been issuing several notices since January 2015, to inform and alert consumers about the current dam level and the implementation of water-usage restrictions. As a result of these circumstances, consumers were notified that a higher tariff was to be charged from July 1, 2015 for overconsumption as per the water tariffs approved for the 2015/16 budget.
Jele also assured the community of Umjindi that the water was still suitable for consumption despite having a brownish colour. “This was caused mainly by the lower level of the Lomati Dam which resulted in a higher content of manganese in the water. The municipality is, however, taking samples weekly. The council is investigating solutions which can be applied to improve the colour of the water at the purification plant,” Jele concluded.
