The water crisis in Standerton reached alarming proportions the past week.
The sorry saga began with a water leak just before the R23-bridge near KFC.
Lekwa Municipality attended to the problem and repaired it, however when water was supplied to town, the pipe burst again. Municipal workers fixed it.
At roughly the same time, a leak near Sonskyn Kunsmis had to be repaired as well.
This was followed by problems at the Water Treatment Plant.
The Kieser Street Reservoir was not to be outsmarted by challenges elsewhere and needed attention.
A pump exploded and the main supply cable had to be repaired.
According to information, the bearings on the pumping unit were worn. An estimate of five to six hours was given to fill the reservoir before the boosters could start.
It all happened during Eskom’s load shedding schedule being implemented and Lekwa’s internal load shedding.
In effect, the pumps could not be put on. A team from Goldi worked through the night of Tuesday, 1 June to restore the water supply to the community.
According to information, backwashing of pumps, taking about two to three hours, was done and residents were warned on WhatsApp-groups, that the water will be brown and muddy.
Water pressure however, would have flushed the pipes clean.
AfriForum brought some calm to the situation when a water tanker in Coligny Street was made available.
Standerton Mills sponsored spares needed for repairs as well. A message on a WhatsApp-group that did not bode well for the future, indicated that anything unforeseen can happen, causing delays.
Residents in Caledon Street were counting the days without water and someone suggested that the private sector should be contacted to make use of their plumbers.
The Standerton Advertiser spoke to Ms Sithi Silosini, former DA-councillor on Wednesday, 2 June.
Ms Silosini said two e-mails were sent that morning respectively to the office of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu and Ms Gezephi Nyalunga, director of the Department of Water and Sanitation in Mpumalanga.
They were informed about the water situation in Standerton, as well as the municipality’s lack of making alternative arrangements.
According to Ms Silosini, no reply was forthcoming.
On the topic of the Kieser Street Reservoir, she commented that it needs to be decommissioned and built from scratch.
“This item on the agenda was not passed in council since no meeting took place,” she added.
She also said much clean water is lost because of the number of leaks.
According to her, the reservoir takes up to 12 hours to fill and posed a question:
“How do you fill a leaking reservoir?”
Water supply was restored to many parts of Standerton by Wednesday, 2 June.
The water supply to Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 15 were affected on Friday, 4 June after a a fault was identified on the third pumping unit at the round reservoir.
The communications department of the municipality indicated in a notice that tankers will be directed to the affected areas.
