Madelein Weideman van Kimberley het genoeg gehad van die situasie oor “beurtwater” wat volgens haar al maande lank ‘n probleem blyk te wees.
Weideman sê vir FiND iT familielede wat eens in Kimberley gewoon het wil nie eers meer daar kuier nie.
Op ‘n vraag hoe lank die water af is, het Weideman gesê die probleem is reeds vir ‘n ruk lank aan die gang.
“Laasjaar en die jaar tevore het hulle glo by die reservoirs die damme leeggemaak en geskrop, maar sedertdien bars die pyp of ander pype in Kimberley keer op keer. Inwoners kla ook reeds ‘n geruime tyd oor rioolwater wat loop, waaraan geen aandag gegee word nie.”
Volgens Weideman word daar ook nie dadelik aandag aan gebarste pype gegee nie.
“Ons water word saans afgesit en die volgende oggend wanneer dit teen 05:00 moet aankom, het ons eers teen 06:30 ‘n skraal straal water wat loop.”
Die gefrustreerde inwoner sê hulle hoop saans water kom betyds by hulle wonings uit dat hulle kan bad voordat dit weer afgesit word.
“Inwoners van Kimberly is seker nou al vir die afgelope twee maande, indien nie langer nie, op ‘n waterskedule.”
Die inwoners kan nie begryp waarom daar steeds ná die reënval van November en Desember 2023 ‘n watertekort is nie en daar gesê word die reservoirs se vlakke is laag.
“Dit is omdat hulle onbevoegde mense aanstel om die werk te doen waarvan hulle niks weet nie. Dit is hoe die inwoners voel. Briewe en klagtes bereik nie die regte plekke nie, iewers moet iemand wees wat ons kan help om hierdie probleem op te los,” sluit Weideman af.
FiND iT het kommentaar van Kimberley-munisipaliteit gevra. Thabo Mothibi, die woordvoerder van die Sol Plaatje- plaaslike munisipaliteit, het die volgende verklaring as antwoord verskaf:
MEDIA STATEMENT
To: All Media
Embargo: None (For Immediate Release)
Date: Friday, 26 January 2024
RE: NEW HOPE FOR IMPROVED WATER SERVICES IN THE SOL PLAATJE LOCAL
MUNICIPALITY UNVEILED AT WATER WORKSHOP
Path set for significant change
Sol Plaatje Local Municipality (SPLM) hosted a two-day Water Workshop at Kimberley’s Horseshoe Inn Conference Centre punctuated by frank and robust discussions from participants comprised of experts in water infrastructure and supply, business representatives, councillors and officials amongst others.
The workshop, which ended this afternoon, has been held amid SPLM having experienced over many years unprecedented water interruptions which could not be addressed.
This, as it became evident that the municipal budget was inadequate to properly maintain, repair or refurbish the aged water infrastructure. SPLM has over the past two years been actively pursuing the identification and sourcing of additional funding to address the urgent water infrastructure upgrade needed to address the poor infrastructure, ongoing water supply interruptions and improve the water quality.
Approval of long-term funding for major bulk water refurbishment
Many consumers may have lost hope that the water interruptions in SPLM will ever be resolved, but in January 2023 our efforts as the Municipality were rewarded when we were notified by National Treasury that our application for funding through their Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) funding was approved. This approval means that a significant amount of funding (in excess of R 2 billion) will be made available by National Treasury and the Department of Water Affairs over the next 5 years to execute the Sol Plaatje Bulk Infrastructure Refurbishment Programme (SPBIRP). This is very good news to all our consumers!
The need to fix all bulk water infrastructure
In order to understand the scope of the SPBIRP it is important to understand where the potable water supplied to Kimberley comes from:
- The starting point is the Vaal River Abstraction point at Riverton. At Riverton two water treatment plants treat the raw water obtained from the Vaal River and pump this treated water via large diameter pipelines to the Newton reservoir site. From the Newton Reservoirs, the treated water is distributed through a network of reticulation pipes, pressure reducing valves and meters to the end consumer.
For consumers to receive water in the tap, all the components from the abstraction point up to the yard connection need to be functioning properly – otherwise water interruptions will be experienced as it has been the norm. This is the reason why all the infrastructure mentioned above requires urgent refurbishment, repair or in some cases even complete replacement. Not only is the SPBIRP required to improve the reliability of water supply to the consumer, but it is also necessary to reduce water leaks and to improve the water quality.
The infrastructure components of the SPBIRP
The scope of the SPBIRP will include a number of projects to improve the SPLM water security:
• Riverton Water Treatment Works (various refurbishment projects on old and new works to improve production capacity and water quality and reduce water losses)
• Pump stations (various upgrades to improve safety and energy security)
• Bulk pipelines between Riverton and Newton Reservoir (various projects to repair and replace the supply pipelines, valves to reduce water losses)
• Newton Reservoir (various projects to fix the leakages at the reservoirs, supply pipelines and booster pumps)
• Kimberley water network (various projects related to network zoning, water leak detection, pipe replacement and meter replacement.
How will the SPBIRMP affect the consumers of Sol Plaatje Local Municipality
In the long term the consumers will experience improved water service delivery, both in terms of reliability and quality. However, in the short term, it should be understood that during the repair and refurbishment process, planned water supply interruptions on key infrastructure is inevitable. These interruptions will vary in duration and frequency and will be communicated formally to all consumers. As the interruptions will be well planned, the duration and frequency will be minimized at all costs.
The Municipality is excited to finally have an opportunity to make the water supply disruptions and problems previously experienced, a thing of the past. We trust that our decisive course of action shall be widely endorsed and would be met with patience.
We also wish to thank all participants of the Workshop for having equally been able to reflect on the hardships endured by businesses and residents, and in having provided a critical analysis and appreciation for the path we have set towards achieving water security through uninterrupted and quality supply.//END
Issued By: Sol Plaatje Municipality – Communications Unit
Enquiries: Thabo Mothibi – Communications Manager
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