The Makana Municipality has issued a public notice saying that key water supply sources in Grahamstown have run dry, and that technicians have been called in to fix a broken pump.
The Makana Municipality has issued a public notice saying that key water supply sources in Grahamstown have run dry, and that technicians have been called in to fix a broken pump.
The full statement, issued on 24 March, reads:
The Municipality is currently experiencing water shortages when it comes to supplying high lying areas like the industrial area and the prison which are supplied by the Waainek Treatment Water Works.
Due to drought that the Eastern Cape is experiencing, water levels have dropped drastically in the dams that supply Waainek. Our dam levels, which we last published in the local newspaper in February, showed the average capacity for Howieson’s Poort, Settler’s Dam and Milner Dam was around 10%.
It is with regret to announce that the water level has reached a point where the Municipality cannot provide to the industrial area and some other high lying areas with water from Waainek.
At James Kleinhas Dam there is currently one water pump functioning which is causing strain on the system’s ability to supply water to areas normally supplied by Waainek. The contracted technicians are presently on site trying to fix the faulty pump and to link the supply from James Kleinhans to areas normally supplied by Waainek.
We urge the Makana community to be patient as we are trying to fix the second pump which will alleviate the problem. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
For more information you can contact Mongezi Mabece (Assistant Director: Water) on 603 6074 or Thandy Matebese (Media and Communications Officer) on 603 6120
More water-related stories on Grocott’s Online:
Facing a waterless future (12 March)
No consensus on water quality but scientists and muni to work together (12 March)
Working for water (12 March)
The management of water (12 March)
The politics of water (12 March)
Water worries not yet resolved (5 March)
More water, less logos (3 March)
Mayor alerts council to urgent water crisis (19 February)
‘Water is safe to drink’ says municipality (19 February)
Water outage outrage (11 January)
