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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is appealing to Sol Plaatje municipality to do more to prevent a total water collapse in Kimberley.

Oversight inspections conducted last week and today, by myself and DA Cllr Ockert Fourie, have highlighted the failure of Sol Plaatje municipality to ensure adequate supply of purified water to meet demand. While we note that two major water leaks on the main pipelines from Riverton to Kimberley were repaired over the weekend, this only alleviates part of the problem.

The DA’s observations show that only three of the 12 filters at the old Riverton Water Purification Plant are working.

In effect, there is not a sufficient volume of purified water being produced to be pumped to Kimberley. This is evident from the empty water tower, the mass storage facility at the Newton Reservoir.

The situation is serious and is aggravated by the extremely hot temperatures and subsequent higher water usage.

While the Municipal Manager (MM) has announced that there will be significant water repairs in December, the DA wants to know why the municipality has waited so long to proceed with the next shutdown, in order to prevent a water crisis. Temperatures in December are expected to soar, while the city is also expected to experience its annual influx of festive season visitors. Work to improve water provision should have been prioritized sooner.

The DA is calling on the MM to establish a water crisis desk, that can keep Kimberley residents up to date on water levels. This is important for Kimberley residents to grasp the seriousness of the situation and so that mitigation measures, such as water restrictions can be implemented at short notice, to prevent an unscheduled water shutdown, if necessary.

The municipality must act with transparency around the water crisis if it expects the support of residents in safely and effectively negotiating Kimberley’s longstanding water crisis.

Issued by Chris Whittaker, Cllr - Sol Plaatje Municipality