Water plant functional again
The Suid Kaap water treatment works, which supports the water supply to the town of Barberton, Umjindi Local Municipality in Mpumalanga, is operating again after being non-functional for almost 10 years.
BARBERTON – The rehabilitation of the Suid Kaap water treatment works and the Queens River pump station project is part of the interim/intermediate water supply programme (IIWSP) of the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The IIWSP focuses on accelerating the delivery of water supply to 27 prioritised district municipalities across South Africa.
Phase one involved the refurbishment of the Suid Kaap water treatment works as well as the clear-water pipeline from the treatment plant to the hospital reservoir. This phase was completed and commissioned enabling the supply of water to local communities.
It also brought some relief to the Rimer’s Creek water treatment works which was close to the point of collapse due to the drop in the water level of the Lomati Dam.
Phase two includes the replacing of the old asbestos raw bulk-water pipeline from the Queens River pump station to the Suid Kaap treatment plant with a PVC pipe. Work started in July 2015 with the completion date set for 2016.
The first phase of the project created 23 job opportunities in the local community during construction and it is envisaged that at least 20 jobs opportunities will be created by phase two.
With the Lomati Dam experiencing a very low water level, the communities of Umjindi Local Municipality and those that get their water from the Suid Kaap and Rimer’s Creek water treatment works are advised to continue using water sparingly and to report all water leakages to the municipality.
