Dams’ levels keep falling

STILL people are not taking the water shortage seriously. Reports have been received that buses are still being generously hosed down at the one depot, and at the municipal fire station at the bottom end of High Street, reports are that the staff there use hoses to generously water a vegetable patch behind the buildings.

It is not clear if the guilty staff at the fire station are municipal employees or expanded work programme workers, but the building is home to the municipality’s Community Services, and one would imagine that someone in authority there would put a stop to the irrigation.

On Tuesday this week, rain was forecast for Friday and the weekend, but such forecasts this season have come to nothing, or very little.

Threats of rain, thunder, lightning and looming clouds seem to be blown away by the winds before they can drop much more than a few millimetres, and often just a few drops.

The dam levels continue to fall.

The last figure given for Klipfontein Dam was 24.8% full on November 16. It is estimated that on Monday this week the figure would have fallen to about 23.3%. This time last year the dam was about 66% full.

Meanwhile, the rumour that was in town on Tuesday morning to the effect that striking municipal workers had broken water pipes to or from (the rumour was not clear) the Klipfontein Purification Plant, were not true at the time of going to press.

No senior municipal employee was available to confirm or deny the rumour, but apparently the striking workers had insisted that no water be pumped by the plant or they would then break pipes. They hadn’t actually done so yet.

At the time of going to press, the workers concerned had moved on to the municipal offices in Mark Street.