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outpansberger
15 Julie 2022
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As part of his duties as elected official, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) councillor for Ward 8 in the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Pierre Smalle, paid an oversight visit to the Albasini water-treatment plant and pump stations 1, 2 and 3 on Monday. He identified several issues that need urgent attention. Photo supplied.
Water crisis a “time bomb” By Andries van Zyl
Louis Trichardt’s water problems are now reaching crisis levels, with residents in some parts of the town and surrounding areas saying that they have been almost completely without water for close to three weeks now. The responsible water authority, the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), indicated earlier that the water shortages were brought about by Eskom’s load shedding over the past weeks. Makhado residents know, however, that this is only partly true and continue to blame poor maintenance and management on the part of the VDM for the chronic water shortages. Breakdowns in the water-supply system, including at the Albasini water-treatment plant, continue to plague the VDM. This month alone, the VDM stated on 4 July that Louis Trichardt and Tshikota had no water after electrical equipment burnt out at the Albasini water-treatment plant. They blamed load shedding for this. Monday this week (11 July), they again announced
that the Albasini treatment plant had to be shut down, this time for a water leak at pump station number 3 on the main water-supply line. A water leak at the same pump station had to be fixed on 6 July, while technicians were busy replacing the burnt-out electrical equipment. In May this year, burst pipes at the same pump station once again caused the treatment plant to be shut down twice. As part of his duties as elected official, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) councillor for Ward 8 in the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Pierre Smalle, paid an oversight visit to the Albasini water-treatment plant and pump stations 1, 2 and 3 on Monday. He identified several issues that need urgent attention. Regarding the Albasini treatment plant, Smalle said that safety remained a concern. The minimum guards are present, and locks are not being maintained. No fence exists either to keep unwanted people out. In the past, copper-cable thieves had targeted the plant on several occasions. “Electricity lines … are low-hanging and electrical lines and infrastructure are overgrown
with trees and bushes, causing the power to trip at times,” said Smalle. Still regarding electricity, Smalle also said that the pumps at the treatment plant were not automated to switch on when electricity outages were experienced and required to be switched on manually. “At the treatment plant, there is a leak next to the settlement reservoir, the same area where a leak was attended to on 22 April 2022,” said Smalle. He added that the settlement reservoir had not been operating sufficiently, most probably because of mechanical problems, for a period exceeding eight months now. On top of that, only one motor pump was in operation at the treatment plant, with no back-up motors connected. “…in case of a breakdown, Louis Trichardt will undergo water shortages for several days,” said Smalle. At pump station 1, Smalle found the station unmanned, with no one there to report to management in case of a problem. The pump station was also pumping on a back-up motor, with the main motor and the additional back-up motor not in use. The water meter also seemed
to be faulty as it was not spinning during times of pumping. The situation at pump station 2 was similar. Apart from trees growing into electrical power lines, this pump station was also running on only one back-up motor, with the main motor and additional back-up motor also not in use. The circuit board inside the pump station was also burnt out, while this pump station’s water meter also seemed to be faulty. At pump station 3, the main motor was pumping water, while the back-up motors were not in use. A large leak still needed to be attended to. This was the same leak referred to in the VDM’s statement of 6 July. Large volumes of water were going to waste. Also, the return valves at the pump station had been removed. Following his oversight visit, Smalle sent a copy of his findings to, among others, the acting municipal manager of Makhado, Mr Kent Nemaname, referring him to the water-supply and service-level agreement between the VDM and the Makhado Municipality. (Contd on P2)