Low reservoir levels leave taps dry
Dr Dumisani Thabethe, Newcastle Municipality's Head of Communications, assured residents the town would have normalised water supply soon.
The low to no water pressure experienced in many parts of Newcastle, is related to the low level of one of the town’s reservoirs.
According to an official at Newcastle Municipality’s Water Department, water was ‘switched off’ and had to build up again. This has contributed to only a trickle from taps across town. When questioned further, the official admitted rumours about a reservoir being empty were true, but stated the department was aware of the problem and was working to fix it.
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Asked how this would be done, he said the process was ‘private and confidential’, but assured residents that they would be able to ‘open the taps’ within a few hours. The reportedly low reservoir level was confirmed by Dr Dumisani Thabethe, the municipal Head of Communications and Customer Relations Manager.
“This [situation] was because uThukela Water was pumping water [on the bulk water lines] using only one pump instead of two, which led to reservoir level dropping. There was an issue with the valves, but this has since been sorted out,” he said. “The town should have water soon.”
According to a broadcast message by a local councillor, residents could expect their water supply to normalise or be restored, once the reservoir has filled sufficiently.
For further water-related queries, residents can call the CRM on 086 014 4144.
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