POLOKWANE – Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) has responded to recent statements by Polokwane Municipality attributing the city’s water supply challenges solely to the bulk water supplier.

LNW said it currently supplies the City of Polokwane with 59 megalitres (or 59 million litres) of potable water per day in terms of the Service Level Agreement, an amount that falls short of the city’s actual demand. Despite this limitation, LNW said it is presently supplying more than the agreed allocation, delivering about 64 megalitres per day.

The water board clarified that responsibilities such as reticulation, distribution, pressure management, storage and supply to end users, including households, businesses and industries, fall under the municipality’s mandate.

LNW further said that all planned maintenance and anticipated supply interruptions are formally communicated to the municipality in advance through established technical and management channels. This, it said, allows the municipality to implement mitigation measures such as reservoir balancing, alternative water sources and public communication.

The water utility also noted that some of the supply challenges currently experienced in Polokwane are linked to internal municipal operational and electrical issues, including problems at municipal water supply systems such as Daldam and Seshego, which fall outside LNW’s control.