Parts of the industrial area have run dry once again. Agitated residents say that some have been without water for almost two weeks.
Last month the municipality issued a public notice saying that the Waainek Treatment Water Works had run out of water and since then the water supply has been sporadic.
Parts of the industrial area have run dry once again. Agitated residents say that some have been without water for almost two weeks.
Last month the municipality issued a public notice saying that the Waainek Treatment Water Works had run out of water and since then the water supply has been sporadic.
The residents insist that they have reported the sporadic water shortages many times, but nothing has been done to rectify the situation.
A resident who did not wish to be named said, “A new pipe line was installed at the Bible Monument, but it has already started leaking and they still haven’t fixed it.
We didn’t have water again this morning [Tuesday]. When we did not have water two weeks ago my wife reported it many times, but no one is doing anything about it.”
However, municipal manager Ntombi Baart insists there have not been any reports of water shortages in that area.
“As far as I am concerned there are no water shortages because no one has made any reports. If there are any shortages, people need to report it to the fire services so that we know that there is a problem,,” she said.
Gerrie Botha, the general manager of the Grahamstown Ostrich Abattoir (GOA), said he is not aware of any water shortages.
“The abattoir is running smoothly; I have had water since Friday,” he said. Werner Raubenheimer, manager of Integrated Meat Processors of the Eastern Cape (Impec), agrees with Botha and sees it as a positive for the municipality that they have water once again.
Last month both the abattoirs were hindered by the lack of water. The sporadic shortages have impacted on Grahamstown Correctional Centre for three weeks now, but water is being piped from tanks outside the prison.
However there have been complaints that the water has a yellow tinge. “We are not aware of this problem, but it is definitely something that will be investigated,” said centre spokesperson Zamuxolo Feni.
The prison was also included in last month’s public notice as one of the affected areas. Feni concluded that the water shortages were the municipality’s problem. “We depend on the Grahamstown municipality to fix this and the community needs to remain patient.”
