Residents are clearly and correctly so, now ‘gatvol’ with the seeming blame-game that the DA led Council and the ANC controlled Rand Water are playing, which is seriously hampering the lives of residents, as once more, Laudium taps have dried up in the area.
Since last Saturday, residents have been without water which is a health hazard and a great inconvenience to all those affected. Ruby Govender, of Kathmandu Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Water had been on and off for a while now, then on Tuesday at 1:30 in the afternoon, it got cut again. This follows the more than 5 days on our side without water last month. How can we live like this, as if we are living in the rural areas. I have a back problem as I can’t carry heavy things, but I’m forced to carry buckets of water and worse, I stay far from where the water trucks are stationed. I had to walk because I do not have a car to go and fetch the water, nor do I have anybody who can fetch it for me. It is very cruel, what is being done to us. What kind of a government is this? How long should we tolerate such abusive and inhuman treatment?”
Damian Rajagopal, a resident on Bengal Street, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “We, the residents of extension 3, have been suffering the most as water had barely come back on Sunday, then again it went off the following day. We are in the dark of what is happening. I don’t know how much water I should collect from the truck, as I don’t know how long the water will be off. Besides, I have a small car and I can’t manage to take much water. We need to do something urgently as a community, other otherwise we will become a banana republic. Where are all the politicians who want our votes?.”
Niraj Durgean, a resident of Indigo Street, Laudium, said, “Around 9:30am this morning (Wednesday), we had no water, last night (Tuesday), we had some water coming back and we were promised that it would come full-swing the next morning. But the next day there was no water in the taps. I have a wife who is not well and needs clean water all the time for our place to be hygienic, otherwise she could easily catch an infection. This government does not think of us. My son could not go to college because there was no water and he had to help me to fetch water, so that we could assist my wife. This is very bad what is being done to us. I live in a council house and my water bill comes to R2000 a month, but they still don’t service us.”
Vincent Ntshauba, a resident from Itireleng, said, “We have been having water problems for almost a week, and on top of that, the DA council wanted to forcefully remove us without consulting us. This is to create a division between the residents of Laudium and Itireleng. They are playing politics. We want water and decent living conditions.”
Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, said, “Our pressure has not changed between when you had water and now. We can’t pressurize that system any more than we have. It’s a gravity line. We will completely lose it if we do so. There is nothing that we can do to assist you as a bulk water provider. Tshwane has to manage its water distribution in a way that all its residents get water. They can’t be referring you to me. Your municipality must give you answers. Nothing has changed from our side. Same pressure that we have been providing.”
MMC Phillip Nel of the Tshwane Council, responsible for Water & Sanitation said, “Due to continued inadequate water pressure from Rand Water, we are rerouting water supply to assist high lying areas.
The City of Tshwane’s Water and Sanitation Department has been focused on returning water supply to various areas affected by the decreased supply from Rand Water. Despite various interventions, we have not seen a significant improvement in the water supply systems for the Laudium, Atteridgeville, Kosmosdal, Mnandi and Olievenhoutsbosch areas.
The challenge is that there is very little pressure and flow, if any, coming into our reservoirs to the extent that the reservoir levels are not improving.
We have measured zero pressure at the Laudium reservoir water inlet. We need at least 130 meters of pressure (13 bar) to supply our Mnandi, Kosmosdal and Olievenhoutbosch supply systems. Rand Water reported that they are providing 9 bar for the areas, while our own City of Tshwane technicians have measured 7,5 bar which is too insufficient to supply the areas.”
