The Department of Water and Sanitation has called on communities in the Gqudezi village in Fort Beaufort, in the Eastern Cape to stop making illegal water connections as government is losing billions of rands due to water loss.
The Gqudezi village has been experiencing water challenges due to illegal connections to the main pipeline reaching the area and the delay of an appointed professional service provider by the Amathole District Municipality to upgrade the Fort Beaufort Bulk Supply Scheme.
Upgrading the project entails the upgrading capacity of the treatment plant, bulk pipelines, building of storage and command reservoirs.
According to the department, the work is estimated to take about 18 – 24 months and is expected to commence next month.
In the meantime, the department has issued water tankers to the area to continue supplying water to the villages including Gqudezi while awaiting the appointed service provider to commence with the work.
The water tankers bring water to the tanks that are dispatched and placed in strategic positions for the benefit of the community members.
The issue of water challenges at Gqudezi village were raised during a previous Presidential visit to Fort Beaufort. – SAnews.gov.za
