Recent water outages in Grahamstown are threatening to disrupt Rhodes University's academic life.
Recent water outages in Grahamstown are threatening to disrupt Rhodes University's academic life.
Recently, the unreliable water supply has begun to have a negative impact on research capacity, particularly in the Sciences and the Health Sciences Faculties.
The university released a statement outlining the impact of the problem. The lack of water constitutes a health and hygiene hazard and a threat to teaching and research activity.
It also compromises the University’s fire-fighting capacity.
Rhodes is currently providing water in tanks to the residences, academic and administrative areas.
This is an enormous task given that there are 3 500 students living in residence and some 7 000 people on campus during the day.
Bottled drinking water, some of which is coming from East London, is also being distributed to students in residences at meal times.
This is costing the university an estimated R115 000 per day.
Rhodes noted that the Municipality has failed, despite undertakings made in this regard, to provide a solution to the problem, and senior officials have frequently been uncontactable.
