The package plant at the Parys Water Purification Works was taken out of operation at the end of last week.
The plant brought significant relief to the greater Parys when it was installed in November 2015.
This now means a shortfall of approximately 10 megalitres of drinking water for Parys per day.

According to the municipal spokesperson, Steve Naale, the plant will be repaired and should be in operation again in March this year.

With the added capacity of the package plant, Parys could purify 25 megalitres of water daily, compared to the 15 megalitres per day now.

The decommissioning of the plant explains the frustration of residents not having water, that reached critical measures in December. Numerous complaints are still posted daily on the Ngwathe Water Problems Whatsapp group.
Those lucky enough to have water complains about the low water pressure and dirty muddy water running from their taps. This is mostly caused by frequent pipe bursts.
The pipes burst with the so-called pipe hammering caused by the variance in pressure as the system runs dry and fills up again.

The shortage of pressure valves, coupled with those not working properly adds to the challenges, resulting in larger areas being isolated to fix the pipes.

Certain areas such as Vaal Parys (area in the vicinity of Derdelaan), is currently without water once again due to a leak repaired last night. The leak resulted in exceptionally low reservoir levels which will take time to stabilise.

Given the current water shortage, the municipality has asked residents to use water sparingly and refrain from watering their gardens.
Not more than five litres of water should be used to wash a car, and water should be conserved as far as possible, said Naale.

Toilet and tap leaks also cause a lot of wastage.

He said, however, that the turbidity on the Vaal River has meanwhile improved, resulting in “improved water quality.”

Residents can use the emergency service line 082 9093 464, to report service delivery challenges.