Water rationing on the cards for Lekwa
Delani Louis Thabethe, executive mayor, accompanied by management, visited the reservoirs early the year and identified a few key problems such as ageing infrastructure with asbestos pipes in the network, insufficient capacity at the reservoirs, dysfunctional reservoirs and the impact of load-shedding.
The water situation in Standerton is at a critical juncture, with locals texting their displeasure on social media and informing the Gert Sibande District Municipality.
Mayor Delani Louis Thabethe, Walter Mngomezulu and a delegation visited the water treatment works in Standerton on May 1 and invited the media to attend.
The Department of Water and Sanitation was also present, as well as some councillors. Not all councillors received invitations.
They committed to issue a statement with possible solutions to the problem, which did not materialise.
The saga began with a pipe burst at the round reservoir. Repairs to it were completed by April 29, but the pipe began leaking at the joints the following day.
The water quality was poor since mud found its way into the pipe and the pipes were scoured.
Lekwa Municipality issued a notice, saying the challenges of load-shedding and reduced raw abstraction have resulted in limited potable water available for distribution.
They introduced water rationing to supply all areas with water for scheduled periods during the day.
They requested people to collect and store water when it became available on taps. Lekwa, however, indicated that this is a temporary measure.
The sand filters had to be back washed, and they switched all the clear water pumping units off, which affected supply to all wards in Standerton.
Altogether three reservoir pumping units supplied water to Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Vodacom area, 11, and 15 until 20:00 and from 20:00 to midnight to Wards 3, 7, 8, 10, and 15.
They deployed a water truck in Kieser Street on May 1 and Freedom Front Plus councillors, Dankus Venter and Wilma Venter addressed the residents. The residents filled up containers and buckets.
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Wilma Venter said on May 2 that 27 years of neglecting infrastructure cannot be rectified overnight.
The Standerton Advertiser went to the Kieser Street reservoir on May 3 to see firsthand how the building of the new reservoir is progressing.
It is noticeable that water still leaks down Coligny Street, but not as heavily as in the past. The area has previously been cleaned by Lekwa Clean Up Crew.
The newspaper gave publicity to the water situation in January after visiting the water treatment plant.
At the plant, water flowed freely over the rim of one of the dams and housekeeping was sub-standard. Beer bottles were spotted in one dilapidated toilet.
The plant was filthy, had an open electrical board and water on the floor surface in one area was making the floor slippery.
Thabethe, accompanied by management, visited the reservoirs early in the year and identified the key problems such as ageing infrastructure with asbestos pipes in the network, insufficient capacity at the reservoirs, dysfunctional reservoirs and the impact of load-shedding.
At that stage, only the Kieser reservoir was functioning, although not to capacity.
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Thabethe said the municipality was still waiting on the funding promised by the Minister of Water and Sanitation.
He said Lekwa would attempt to reconnect the other reservoirs to the network. They are also planning the installation of generators at both the water treatment plant in Standerton and Morgenzon.
The pumps can then function during load-shedding. Malosi Lamola, the municipal manager, wrote a letter to the community the past week in which he largely ascribed the threat to the water supply to load-shedding.
Lamola said as a mitigation strategy, they will deploy water tankers to supply water to the community. It is a temporary arrangement.
“The municipality is working around the clock to bring an end to this perennial challenge,” he said.
He conveyed his gratitude to residents for their patience and apologised unreservedly.
The Standerton Advertiser sent an email on May 4 to their communications officer, Thando Nkosi, enquiring about the number of trucks and the expenditure incurred.
Their communications department issued a notice the same day about measures put in place to address the challenges.
They are engaging with Eskom to exempt the water treatment works from load-shedding. Astral, Seriti and the Gert Sibande District Municipality will assist with backup generators at the plant.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has set aside R29m, through ministerial intervention, for refurbishment at the plant. Finally, altogether eight water trucks are in use.
