Vital water infrastructure has collapsed leaving tens of thousands of Kimberley people high and dry as the local authority battles to repair ageing pipes and pumps. The crisis started last week when the pipes and pumps at several reservoirs around the city broke, leading to major restrictions and the water supply being shut off at night.

With reservoir levels just below 1m, emergency measures have been activated to ensure that hospitals and clinics receive water. Fire stations have been called on to supply water to medical facilities, and some business owners have travelled to Bloemfontein and Upington to stock up on water. Residents of the surrounding townships have been forced to draw water from small dams outside the city.

Patience Moss, an elderly Roodepan resident, whose area was affected by several burst pipes, said: “I had to ask neighbours to bring me water because I’m too old to carry the buckets. It is chaotic. “There are too many people and too much mud.”

Selina Kgoe said she was worried about her family’s hygiene. “We can’t flush our toilets.”

Local dairy farmer Pieta Serfontein this weekend started supplying hospitals, schools and residents with free water taken from his family farm, 65km outside Kimberley. He supplied 64000 litres at the weekend.

“We start processing from 3am so people can start coming from that time.

“We will do this daily until the crisis comes to an end.”

Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Sharon Steyn said the problem began three years ago.

“The council knew about the problems with ageing pumps and pipes but did nothing to upgrade the infrastructure.”

Steyn said that, despite requests for maintenance and a loan of R240-million from the Development Bank of SA for new equipment, the council’s incompetence had allowed the city’s water supply system to collapse.

“Backup pumps should have been bought. If they had, we would not have this problem. The municipality should replace the pipes, not just fix them like they have been all this time.” She said in a recent SABC interview that the council had admitted that 28 water pipes burst every month.

“This is no longer a problem, it is a crisis. Disaster management needs to come in and do something about this because people can’t go on this long without water.” Steyn said the council had told businesses and residents that there would be no water at night for the next two weeks.

Steyn said businesses, particularly restaurants, had been badly affected, and tourists have abandoned the city.

“The problem is so bad that bottled water has run out,” she said. She said parents were travelling to neighbouring provinces to fetch water for their children’s schools.

Sol Plaatjie municipal spokesman Sello Matsie last week said the water supply problems had been “addressed”. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/11/12/kimberley-left-high-and-dry