WHITE RIVER – After four days without water, Hillsview residents were relieved late on Wednesday with a trickle of water after the Phumlani pump station were brought back into operation. But questions remain unanswered on why Mbombela did not take action to prevent this when it should have been obvious that the town’s reservoir was running dry in the beginning of December.
“Some people have not been able to bath during this time,” said DA councillor for the ward, Ms Trudie Grove-Morgan.
The reservoir which supplements the water supply of the town ran dry on January 3 after electrical boards burnt out due to illegal connections by Msholozi residents at Phumlani (Rocky Drift). According to Mbombela Local Municipality a temporary measure was provided on Tuesday to ensure that the Phumlani pump station was operational to augment water supply for high lying areas and Hillsview. The water supply was apparently normalising on Wednesday morning. A standby generator was installed on Thursday, but illegal connections have not yet been removed.
The White River Animal Clinic, located near the two main roads through town, reported a lack of water since Friday and had to make use of a borehole on the property, “Heaven knows how we would have been able to function without the borehole,” a staff member commented. The water supply to their premises was restored late on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Grove-Morgan the residents of Hillsview have been suffering under these circumstances. “They feel that they should get a discount on rates and taxes because of this,” she told Lowvelder. Grove-Morgan was instrumental in finding the cause of the problem during the weekend when she insisted on a police escort to visit the affected pump station. Mbombela personnel had told her that they couldn’t investigate the problem due to threats of violence by Msholozi residents.
Mbombela urges residents to use water sparingly.
Read the initial report here.
