Taps remain dry for almost a month in Bronkies area

The taps in Tshwane’s Region 7 had been dry for 22 consecutive days and counting by the Streeknews’ deadline on Tuesday.

And the longer the water interruption, the angrier the residents of wards 103 and 104 have come. The water interruption escalated when the CoT began upgrades and repairs at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant.

The high-lift pumps at the plant breaking down saw the initial plan to get the water supply running as soon as possible foiled.

One pump was repaired, and by Monday, residents received assurance that the two pumps would systematically fill up the dry reservoirs in the area as soon as a gasket for the second high-lift pump was procured and installed.

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In the meantime, residents made good on their protest action threats, especially in Rethabiseng, where roads were blocked several times.

The CoT’s department of communication and marketing sent out a notice on May 26 saying that the reservoir levels at Bronkhorstspruit and Zithobeni had improved and the system was gradually stabilising.

The notice asked residents to be patient as full recovery of the system would take time. Locals were urged to stay clear of the plant to allow the artisans to safely and efficiently do critical repairs.

In addition, a massive pipe burst in Bronkhorstspruit cut off the water supply for two days. Municipal employees worked around the clock to repair the pipe that supplies water to the CBD and parts of Zithobeni and finalised the work on Tuesday afternoon.