A dry weekend for Malalane
Town experienced a water shortage that lasted throughout last weekend. This occurred after the pump that supplies the water from the river to the water purification works had to be replaced.
MALALANE – Residents could collect water in town from a temporary water tank situated in Ext 9 behind Pick n Pay. The pump was filled with algae that blocked the pipes and prevented the water from flowing properly.
The communications manager of Nkomazi Local Municipality, Cyril Ripinga, confirmed the process and progress that occurred during the weekend. The council acted swiftly after the second standby pump, a refurbished unit, did not function accordingly and sent it back to the maintenance agency on the same day it had been received.
When a third pump was brought and installed other problems were discovered. The infrastructure was in poor condition. It is believed that the flood in February caused damage to the water pump infrastructure as it blocked the pipes with mud and silt.
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Mud and silt filled up openings needed for the water to be pumped through and made it difficult for the service team to repair the infrastructure. The team had to open up the blockage first, before it could start fixing the infrastructure. This was only achieved late on Sunday afternoon. During the night team members had to work in deep water with minimum vision as they made alterations to the pipes. They installed the pump at midnight.
The long operation left the pipes and reservoirs empty and they had to fill up the main reservoir. Only when the main reservoir was filled with water up to a certain level, could it be pumped through to the tanks in town. The residents were informed by Dudu Sifunda on a social media group about the situation and were kept updated on the progress.
This process took longer than expected because the locals used too much water, resulting in the tanks not being able to fill up to a necessary level. This left the greater part of Malalane without water. It was decided that the water tanks had to be closed in order for them to fill up. By 21:00 on Monday the water tanks were opened up and town had water once again.
