Pretoria – The bulk water supply has been restored in Mkhondo Local Municipality following a planned maintenance outage of the Heyshope system.
The planned maintenance outage took place from 12 to 21 June 2015, where normal water supply to the communities of Driefontein, Kwa Ngema and Dirkiesdorp in Mpumalanga was interrupted during the planned outage.
The planned maintenance outage was meant for the department to undertake maintenance work and rehabilitation of the infrastructure in order to ensure sustainable supply of bulk water for the future.
The department reported on Monday that the bulk water supply was restored and the purification plant started operations on 20 June 2015.
The department emphasised that the importance of the planned outage could not be underplayed as it was vital for maintenance and continued sustainability of the infrastructure.
“In order to minimize the impact of the water supply interruptions, the department and the Mkhondo Local Municipality dispatched water tankers to supply the affected communities with water. The water tankers are still supplying water and will be withdrawn today at 6pm,” the department said.
The Department of Water and Sanitation is mandated to ensure security of water supply for all facets of the lives and livelihoods of South Africans.
Part of this mandate includes regular maintenance of its infrastructure throughout the length and breadth of the land.
“Regular, planned and scheduled maintenance is crucial for increasing the life-span and reliable and effective performance of water infrastructure to ensure sustainable water supply for our and future generations.” – SAnews.gov.za
