Fears of contamination of Mamelodi reservoir continues
“Vandalism had been persistent for more than 10 years and even nothing had been done for safety at Mamelodi reservoirs.”
A year has passed since concerned residents of Mamelodi called on the Tshwane metro to prioritise safety at the Mamelodi reservoir 4.
Oupa Mtshweni of Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery said the vandalism at the reservoir seemed to be leading to water contamination.
He said around March last year, they handed in a memorandum about vandalism and the risk of water contamination to the Tshwane metro.
“Metal lids covering the reservoir at the top had been stolen and as a result, the water inside was exposed to all forms of contamination,” said Mtshweni.
“We are tired of empty promises from Tshwane metro or are they perhaps waiting for disaster to strike before securing the safety of our water supply?”
He said the then MMC for utility and regional operations Daryl Johnston received the memorandum on behalf of Tshwane metro.
Instead, the MMC conducted an oversight visit to the reservoir together with the water and sanitation department without informing the Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery or the public.
“Funds are being allocated in the budget to fence off the two reservoirs (Mamelodi Reservoirs 3 and 4) as well as to repair the covers on Mamelodi Reservoir 3,” said Mtshweni.
“These two interventions should work to prevent further vandalism of the infrastructure and any potential contamination of water in Mamelodi.”
He said vandalism had been persistent for more than 10 years and even now nothing had been done for safety at Mamelodi reservoirs.
He added there were other issues at the reservoir including the absence of access control whether in the form of personnel or systems, missing or stolen valves and steel stairs cut off and removed.
He said the missing valves posed a danger as the pipes could explode anytime which would leave residents of Mamelodi without water for months.
“The health hazards are that anyone could come at any time and pour poison or any other contaminant in the water, killing all Mamelodi residents at once,” said Mtshweni.
He advised residents to boil tap water before using it for cooking or drinking for their safety.
“We don’t want to experience what Hammanskraal residents had to go through with water contamination,” he said.
In September 2021, the metro’s water and sanitation department led an operation to remove illegal connections at Mamelodi Reservoir 4.
This operation followed complaints by residents of Mahube Valley, Ikageng extension 4 and 5, who had been experiencing a prolonged water outage, which affected businesses, such as car washes and non-profit organisations.
“Businesses were losing customers and NPOs were unable to service residents.”
Mtshweni said the illegal pipeline was removed and the city also closed the window frames off with steel slates to make it difficult to break into the reservoir chamber where the illegal connection to pressure-reducing valves and points was made.
Other areas in Mamelodi were affected by illegal water pipe connections, which dried up taps and reduced water pressure to the whole of Ikageng extension 3, Mahube Valley, Mamelodi East Phase 3 and 4 including the school.
The residents also blamed the people who recently invaded land near the reservoir for the illegal water connections at the reservoir and the metro for not fixing the water crisis in Mamelodi.
Jabulani Dlamini of Ikageng extension 3 said the water problems in the area started a couple of years ago with low water pressure and then no water at all.
He said the metro had sent water tankers to the area as an interim solution, but this had problems of its own.
“We have to walk long distances to collect water from the tankers because they only deliver to Ikageng Hall, near the informal settlement.
“We are ratepayers so we don’t deserve to walk such long distances for water while the informal settlement residents, who are not paying for services, get water delivered to their doorstep for free.”
Another resident, Dae Mahlangu, said life without water was very tough.
“Our taps run dry or there is low pressure from around 05:00 until around 21:00,” said Mahlangu.
He said residents were mostly elderly, yet were forced to walk long distances to fetch water from tankers.
“We cannot continue to live like this. At least, the tankers should deliver to every street in Ikageng,” said Mahlangu.
“We pay for service delivery every month with our social grant money yet we get nothing in return.”
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