Residents in parts of Pretoria East were forced to queue for water during the weekend, after their areas were hit by water outages due to Rand Water’s major maintenance, which was expected to be completed yesterday.
Municipal spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, said water interruptions were experienced in regions 2, 3 and 6 because of the water utility’s comprehensive maintenance programme of their Mapleton System.
The affected areas included Mamelodi, Lynnwood, Alphen Park, Erasmusrand, Garsfontein, Groenkloof, Suiderberg West, Monument Park, Sterrewag, Waterkloof, Waterkloof Park, Waterkloof Heights and Waterkloof Ridge.
He said the work started on Friday and was anticipated to take three days and five hours.
“During this period, the water utility will not be pumping any water at the Mapleton System, which supplies 36 of the city’s reservoirs and bulk meters,” he said.
Roaming water tankers were dispatched to affected areas in an effort to alleviate the plight of residents, who were urged to use water sparingly to avoid a complete collapse of the system.
MMC for Utility Services and Regional Operation & Coordination, Themba Fosi, said measures were put in place to provide water to communities facing outages due to the water utility’s planned maintenance work.
“As we have communicated over the past two months, Rand Water is currently performing routine maintenance on several of their systems across Gauteng’s municipalities. The City of Tshwane receives a significant portion of its water supply from Rand Water,” he said.
Fosi said maintenance work reached its peak on the weekend, resulting in water outages in the city: “We want to emphasise that these outages are not due to any breakdown but are part of scheduled maintenance necessary for the long-term reliability of Rand Water's systems. Rand Water maintenance activities include comprehensive inspections, repairs, and upgrades to their infrastructure.”
He emphasised that maintenance entailed short-term inconveniences such as low pressure to no water supply; however, the long-term benefits were unparalleled.
“This routine work is crucial for preventing larger, more disruptive challenges in the future, ensuring a stable and efficient water supply system for all.”
Pretoria News