Hopes of 18,463 Komani households having unrestricted water supply this festive season have dried up along with work at the site of the multimillion-rand Xonxa bulk water transfer.
The project, which will bring water from the Xonxa Dam in Cacadu to Komani, is 95% complete, yet still far from finished.In November, Christ Hani District Municipality (CHDM) spokesperson Thobeka Mqamelo said the project would be finished at the end of November.
This did not happen.On Friday, Mqamelo said an Eskom connection to the pumps, which caused the main delay, had been completed, but the contractor had to test the system.
“Due to the end of year break this is yet to take place,” said Mqamelo.She said the pumps had to be checked to see if they were running properly and could deliver according to specifications, and the pipeline and valves had to be checked to see if they could take the pressure.She added:
“This has to be done holistically without any time lapse in between.”The multimillion-rand pipeline was originally commissioned in 2012 after it became clear that the Bonkolo and Waterdown dams could no longer supply the area’s water needs.
In 2016, CHDM introduced water restrictions to Komani with local businesses having to limit their operations to accommodate the water cuts.Border Kei Chamber of Business administrator Adre Bartis said this was a dream as there was still a lot of work to be done.
Nonetheless, the project is sitting at 95%, with Bonkolo Dam, which normally supplies the town, at 0%, while the Waterdown Dam is sitting at 69%, according to the department of water affairs.
Residents of Ezibeleni township and parts of the Komani suburbs have been without water for three days.Bartis said the water problem in Komani had become serious...