A Makana director has blasted the fire department and some residents for allegedly misusing fire hydrants.
A Makana director has blasted the fire department and some residents for allegedly misusing fire hydrants.
Director of Infrastructure and Technical Services Thembinkosi Myalato blames local firemen, and companies contracted to transport water to outlying areas in Makana, for wasting water and not closing hydrant valves properly.
On 26 July Grocott’s Mail published a picture of a hydrant on the corner of New and Somerset streets that leaked copious amounts of water for six days before being fixed.
Myalato explained that the repairs took so long because his directorate had to order a special valve from out of town to fix the hydrant.
He did not however say how he knew that firemen had caused the problem. "The fire department guys just connect and take water as they please, anywhere they see a hydrant, and this must stop," he said.
Myalato says the fire station has sufficient water points and he fails to see why they must source water from all over town.
He said hydrants are purposely built and reserved for emergencies.
In an email to the fire department, Myalato said he condemned the misuse of hydrants and asked them to stop using water points all over town.
Some of the firemen are inexperienced, Myalato said, and he believes they accidentally damage or break hydrants. He also claimed that fire fighters are notorious for not closing hydrant taps properly.
Meanwhile Myalato promised to follow up on reports that water is allegedly being stolen from two hydrants along Lucas Meyer Avenue, behind Settlers' Hospital.
In mid-July a Grocott’s Mail reader sent in a photo of a hose delivering water to a tank behind nurse's homes on hospital property.
The other hose was allegedly connected to the hospital reservoir.
"That is an illegal practice," Myalato said, "those people appear to be stealing the municipal water and we have a zero tolerance policy… It is a punishable offence."
The fire department chief refused to comment and referred Grocott’s Mail to municipal spokesperson, Mncedisi Boma.
Boma reiterated what Myalato had said, and explained the purpose of fire hydrants.
"The main responsibility for fire hydrants is to assist during fire emergencies, but due to the constant water outages we also utilise them to take water and transport it to places that need water."
Boma said it is also the duty of the fire department to transport water to areas of need, but agreed with Myalato that there are water points at the fire station for that purpose.
