Tshwane Residents Relieved as Another Water Outage is Averted

Residents in Tshwane can breathe a sigh of relief as Rand Water has cancelled a planned 30-hour water supply shutdown due to maintenance, sparing them from another potential water outage as reported by IOL.

Last week, residents were informed about the scheduled repairs on leaks at the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant, prompting the municipality to take proactive measures by filling the reservoirs to minimise the impact on residents during the anticipated shutdown.

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The Palmiet booster station, part of the maintenance plan, would have reduced pumping to 75% capacity during the shutdown. This would have affected several Rand Water reservoirs, including Klipriviersberg, Klipfontein, Brakfontein, Hartebeesthoek, and various areas across Tshwane. According to Rand Water, it would have taken at least two weeks for the network system to stabilise after the shutdown.

Water supply interruptions have become increasingly common in Tshwane lately, with the municipality pointing fingers at Rand Water for not promptly communicating supply challenges. Last week, residents in Soshanguve and Mabopane experienced prolonged water outages due to low water flow into the region one reservoir.

Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has been vocal in criticising Rand Water for failing to inform the municipality about water supply problems. In the case of Soshanguve, Rand Water had assured residents that water would be supplied through a bypass method during maintenance at the Haartebeeshoek reservoir starting from the week of July 12. However, implementing the bypass method faced challenges, resulting in the outage caused by inadequate water flow into the Soshanguve Block L reservoirs and other reservoirs in region one.

In response to the criticism, Rand Water’s chief operating officer, Mahlomola Mehlo, stated in a television interview that the municipality needed to be made aware of the water supply issues at the utility.

Overall, the situation reflects Tshwane’s ongoing struggles with water supply, with tensions arising between the municipality and Rand Water over communication and maintenance challenges.

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Photo: Facebook / @Rand Water