By SIMTHANDILE FORD
Buffalo City’s campaign to end water leaks is far from over, despite the metro injecting more than R40-million a year to help deal with the crisis.
In Duncan Village alone, a five- minute drive from the metro’s headquarters, the Dispatch spotted at least four communal taps running continuously, as tap screws have either disappeared or rubbers come loose.
Another tap with a similar problem is located behind Bhedelele Old Age Home in Duncan Village.
The communal tap, which services more than 20 informal dwellings, is located behind the home’s main building.
The tap has been running continuously for the past two months – as a result the build-up of water has caused a muddy pool around the building, making it hard for the elderly to go on daily walks around the yard, as they face the risk of stumbling and injuring themselves.
Sinekhaya Makhi of Pitoyi Street in the neighbourhood, said it was residents who took the time to switch the main valve on and off, where possible, as they seemed to be the only ones who cared enough about the loss of water.
And the crisis continues, despite the metro hiring more than 250 volunteers last year to repair leaking taps.
Makhi said their communal tap had been leaking for more than three months.
“When we reported this tap, the municipality brought in people days later – who only closed the main valve and there was no water.
“Residents had to re-open the valve but now the tap runs non-stop 24-hours a day,” Makhi said.
Two streets away from Makhi’s shack, is Mthetheleli Mandondo’s home.
A broken water pipe that feeds a nearby communal tap runs through his yard. Mandondo said the pipe had been broken for quite some time.
“ I can’t even recall when it broke.”
Even though neighbours have reported this to BCM officials, no one seems to care about the situation at all.
Mandondo said their water woes began when they reported the non- collection of rubbish in the area.
“The day they came to collect the rubbish, we realised later that the pipe had been damaged. We reported it, but no one has bothered to come and fix it,” Mandondo said.
President Jacob Zuma launched the “war on water leaks” project in Port Elizabeth last year. It was to train more that 15000 youths as artisans and plumbers. It is unclear what had happened to this project.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the campaign had filtered through to the BCM area.
“The metro is also participating in the War on Leaks, a national programme spearheaded by the department of water and sanitation, through which we are providing 100 youth volunteers from across the metro with plumbing and related skills.
“We have also engaged 250 volunteers to provide the much-needed capacity at grassroots level to repair leaks,” Cindi added.
Water leaks pool up in metro: Municipality unable to stem tide despite R40m plan to address crisis
Buffalo City’s campaign to end water leaks is far from over, despite the metro injecting more than R40-million a year to help deal with the crisis.
In Duncan Village alone, a five- minute drive from the metro’s headquarters, the Dispatch spotted at least four communal taps running continuously, as tap screws have either disappeared or rubbers come loose.
Another tap with a similar problem is located behind Bhedelele Old Age Home in Duncan Village.
The communal tap, which services more than 20 informal dwellings, is located behind the home’s main building.
The tap has been running continuously for the past two months – as a result the build-up of water has caused a muddy pool around the building, making it hard for the elderly to go on daily walks around the yard, as they face the risk of stumbling and injuring themselves.
Sinekhaya Makhi of Pitoyi Street in the neighbourhood, said it was residents who took the time to switch the main valve on and off, where possible, as they seemed to be the only ones who cared enough about the loss of water.
And the crisis continues, despite the metro hiring more than 250 volunteers last year to repair leaking taps.
Makhi said their communal tap had been leaking for more than three months.
“When we reported this tap, the municipality brought in people days later – who only closed the main valve and there was no water.
“Residents had to re-open the valve but now the tap runs non-stop 24-hours a day,” Makhi said.
Two streets away from Makhi’s shack, is Mthetheleli Mandondo’s home.
A broken water pipe that feeds a nearby communal tap runs through his yard. Mandondo said the pipe had been broken for quite some time.
“ I can’t even recall when it broke.”
Even though neighbours have reported this to BCM officials, no one seems to care about the situation at all.
Mandondo said their water woes began when they reported the non- collection of rubbish in the area.
“The day they came to collect the rubbish, we realised later that the pipe had been damaged. We reported it, but no one has bothered to come and fix it,” Mandondo said.
President Jacob Zuma launched the “war on water leaks” project in Port Elizabeth last year. It was to train more that 15000 youths as artisans and plumbers. It is unclear what had happened to this project.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the campaign had filtered through to the BCM area.
“The metro is also participating in the War on Leaks, a national programme spearheaded by the department of water and sanitation, through which we are providing 100 youth volunteers from across the metro with plumbing and related skills.
“We have also engaged 250 volunteers to provide the much-needed capacity at grassroots level to repair leaks,” Cindi added.
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