THE Mid-Karoo Express sent a few questions to Thobeka Mqamelo, spokesperson of the Chris Hani District Municipality, to get clarity on the water issues facing Cradock and Middelburg. Here are Mqamelo’s replies.
What is the latest reason for taps
running dry in Cradock during the
past 10 days?
In Cradock there is no instance where taps have run dry for 10 days – this has not happened. However we do have restrictions in place like any other area that is water distressed across the district. Where water service has been inconsistent, besides the set restricts, are high lying areas of Bergsig and Hillside.
In Middelburg: why are boreholes and pumps not maintained – is there no budget for it?
Our maintenance of pumps and boreholes are done as expected and timeously. Middelburg area relies on underground water, and due to prevailing drought water table has enormously dropped resulting in very low yield or nothing at all. In such cases nothing will come out of a tap. Currently reservoir levels are very low.
What is the Chris Hani Municipality doing about improving communication between the municipality and residents with regards to water outages. Why are public meetings not held in this regard?
Awareness campaigns are constantly undertaken by our customer care unit and messages are conveyed in various platforms, which include radio, social media, posters alerting on the situation and bulk SMS. Meetings are called to engage the communities but some members choose not to prioritise these, however we will strengthen our efforts to engage.
Will water trucks be sent?
Water trucks are dispatched when a need arises – that is when there is a total outage, which has not been the case.
Are there any plans in place to improve the situation with regards to the bulk water supply, maintenance of boreholes and pumps, etc?
As the area has no water sources, the district municipality is exploring possible avenues to counter the situation.
W
hat is the cause of the spilling of raw sewage into the Fish River – and what is being done to stop this?
Sewage spillage happens whenever there is a blockage and this is addressed as it emerges.
