By ‘Odidi Matai-Sigudla
After the municipality sent the last pump of three at Howieson’s Poort to Johannesburg for repairs, the truck carrying the pump got stuck in a muddy and slippery road on 17 May, according to a press statement released by Makana Municipality. However, witnesses and residents who had circulated the picture of the truck on social media say it had remained there since Saturday 13 May, though the image provided was taken on Wednesday.
The pump was sent to Johannesburg for the manufacturer to examine the pump in a different environment, away from the “insutu conditions,” said Municipal Manager Phumelelo Kate. “Diagnosis was completed on Monday, 22 May, and it further confirmed (their previous investigation) that there was nothing wrong with the pump,” Kate said.
Though the Howieson’s Poort and Settler’s dams are full to the brink of overflowing, Makhanda and surrounding areas remain in a water crisis. “There is an urgent need to do some refurbishment on the inlet tower at Howieson’s Poort, as the existing infrastructure is badly corroded and impossible to maintain,” said Kate.
The municipality said “recommended actions” were to increase the number of water trucks, have dedicated water tanks for priority facilities such as hospitals, schools, and army bases, and provide an alternative potable water source for Rhodes water tankers.
Until Makana municipality can implement those recommendations, a further extensive investigation will be done on the dam wall and pump station to identify the problem, says Kate. And Makhanda as a whole will continue to rely even more on James Kleynhans WTW (JKWTW) production to provide sufficient water distribution.
Makana municipality still maintains that the “critical completion” of the JKWTW upgrade will be done by next month and that the daily demands of 20 megalitres of water will then be met.
Kate says Makhanda residents must continue to “use water sparingly.” But Ward Four councillor, Geoffrey Embling, of the DA says: “the management responsible for water has not been able to solve the problem, and councilors have noted that a lack of maintenance, planning and consequence management is largely to blame. It is noteworthy that the scale of the water crisis in Makana gives the Municipal Manager authority to enforce emergency procurement and use private contractors to fulfill the mandate of Makana’s water management”.
