By ROD AMNER
Makhanda has been plunged into an even more profound water crisis as another major burst pipe on Tuesday, 1 November, this time on the transfer line at Valley Road, Vergenoeg, according to Makana Municipality Communications officer Anele Mjekula.
The pipe burst as water transferred to the western side of town. The Botha’s Hill reservoirs had to be closed to allow the pipeline to drain to detect the problem. The extent of the damage was discovered around 11 pm on Tuesday.
A still image taken from a video taken on Tuesday of the major leak on the transfer line at Valley Road, Vergenoeg. Photo: Ward 4 WhatsApp group
One piece of good news is that repairs on the rising main between Howieson’s Poort Dam and the Waainek Water Treatment Works have been completed, according to the Mjekula. Water is, at last, being pumped to Waainek, and will be treated from today, Wednesday, 2 November.
But, significant repairs are required on the transfer line at Valley Road.
Only the western side reservoirs and Tantyi reservoir could be opened on Wednesday, a precious ‘on day’. The Botha’s Hill reservoir will not be opened until the repairs are completed, Mjekula said.
Water tanks are being deployed to Joza and coloured areas, Hillsview, part of Oatlands North, and part of Rhodes University, and a schedule will be provided soon, Mjekula said.
The required fittings were being sourced on Wednesday morning.
Appeal to COGTA
In an urgent appeal to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), which held a special three-hour parliamentary session on Makhanda’s water crisis on Tuesday, Ward 8 councillor Cary Clark said water tanks urgently needed to be rolled out to all impoverished households in the city.
“Is it not possible to get an engineering company to assist? We also do not have enough water trucks to cart water around to all affected areas. Please advise what intervention COGTA is planning as we are in crisis?” Clark asked.
“The current situation is one day on and two days off, but in reality, this does not happen as the one day is actually much less. This on/off causes immense pressure on old infrastructure. We are continuously experiencing significant leaks, which need specialists and equipment we don’t have in stores. The result is that people can be without water for many days.
“Add load shedding where pumps cannot work and constant power outages as a result of no maintenance and vandalism of infrastructure; then you have a catastrophe on your hands. Businesses are closing, and people are moving out. The situation is untenable and needs urgent and immediate intervention,” she said.
Two long months of restricted water supply
The latest significant disruptions to Makhanda’s precarious water supply began on 9 September after leaks were detected on the rising main pipe linking Howieson’s Poort Dam to the Waainek Water Treatment Works on the western side of town.
The standard western supply of eight megalitres a day halted abruptly.
According to municipal statements, repairs to the pipe were completed twice in September and three times in October.
Representatives from the Makana Residents Association (MRA) and others have been tracking the progress of the Gqeberha contractor Broadstroke Manufacturing who were appointed to fix the pipeline.
According to Ward 4 Democratic Alliance councillor Geoff Embling, an engineer from a local business stated that the job required between one and one-and-a-half metric tons of concrete to create a thrust block – not the few ‘wheelbarrow-fulls’ that are currently there.
“Other potential issues noted were a faulty gasket and alleged misaligned torque on the bolts,” Embling said.
The agenda of a recent council portfolio meeting showed that Broadstroke Manufacturing was paid R97 207 in ‘irregular expenditure’ for the month ending September 2022.
“It will be interesting to see what was paid in October when most of the work was done, albeit unsuccessfully,” Embling commented.
Makana Municipality Communications reported on Wednesday that the work has now been completed, but it remains to be seen if it holds up.
Embling said that the initial leak on the N2, below the Stone Crescent Hotel, had been worked on “time and time again over a month and a half”.
These images document the repairs made to the rising line between Howieson’s Poort Dam and the Waainek Water Treatment Works in October. A local engineer said he was concerned that insufficient concrete had been used to create the thrust block for the pipeline. Photos: Geoff Embling, Ward 4 Service Delivery WhatsApp group
