ABERDEEN NEWS - For over a month now, residents in Aberdeen have been experiencing problems with the water supply.
Those in the highest areas of town have been without water for long periods of the days, as have those in the upper part of Thembalesizwe. According to one resident, most days they have had no water from about 10:00 until often 21:00 at night.
This week, there has been no water at all since 06:00 on Monday morning.
In areas where there is water coming out of the taps, the pressure is very low, and many people have been complaining that the pressure is too low to fill washing machines or use showers. A water truck has been taking supplies to Thembalesizwe for residents in the township to collect drinking water.
The acting communications officer for the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality reported on Facebook on Wednesday, 26 December, that there is a problem with a borehole pump, and that the service provider, from Cradock, was on the way to Aberdeen on Wednesday morning to assist with the pump.
On Thursday, residents were told by the ward councillor Rudy Jacobs that it is in fact two pumps that are out of commission, one near the hospital and one at the electricity substation in Parliament Street. This information was relayed to him by the acting Director of Engineering. The motors in both boreholes have burnt out, possibly because the water level has dropped too low.
On Thursday, the service provider from Cradock went to Port Elizabeth to collect wo new borehole pumps. Installation of these started at 06:00 on Friday morning, and by 10:00 the one in Parliament Street was up and running.
There have been many questions raised in the town as to whether the indiscriminate use of borehole water by those residents fortunate enough to have access to private boreholes has caused the water table to drop even further. Farmers who rely heavily on borehole water use this resource responsibly, allowing all to have their fair share, but according to many complaints received, the majority of those in town seem unconcerned and in some cases even aggressive towards any suggestion that their usage is adversely affecting others.
A question was sent to the municipality mid-November concerning the regulations on the sinking of new boreholes, but no response has been received despite repeated requests.
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