The persistent water outages in Fort Beaufort and the surrounding areas are the result of technical glitches with the Water Treatment Works.

According to the Amathole District Municipality (ADM), a major system failure has affected a number of filters and the plant is now unable to treat sufficient water to meet the current demands. The current filter system was expected to suffice until the planned upgrade.

ADM has appointed specialist water treatment service providers to undertake the repairs, which are expected to take 3 weeks. Water tankers have been made available to supply the community with water in the interim.

Planned upgrade

The water supply system upgrade project is currently in the design phase and construction is set to begin towards the end of this year. It will include the complete refurbishment and upgrade of the water treatment works, the upgrading of certain bulk pipelines and pump stations as well as the construction of additional storage. Although this will improve the functionality and reliability of the water supply system, ADM asks consumers to use water responsibly and to ensure that all household leaks are repaired immediately.