NATIONAL NEWS - Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning says the water situation in Beaufort West is currently very serious and expected to get worse over the coming weekend as the town's water reclamation plant will be shut down for critical maintenance.
The reclamation plant has worked for 2 months without maintenance and is at risk of failure if not serviced now. For this reason the municipality is forced to shut down the reclamation plant this coming weekend.
The plant provides an estimated 20% of the town's drinking water. Boreholes provide the rest via town reservoirs. Several boreholes have however already dried up and remaining boreholes are struggling to fill up the town's reservoirs due to ongoing demand.
Tourists and travellers stopping in Beaufort West is exerting further pressure on the water resources and additional drinking water has to be provided for the coming weekend.
The provincial government through the Provincial Department of Social Development in conjunction with The South African Red Cross Society has already delivered 2000 liters of bottled water to the town on 27 December with another 2000l to be delivered on Monday.
The Western Cape Department of Health has confirmed that contingencies are in place to ensure health services are rendered without interruption.
The Municipality has an active awareness and communication campaign program to ensure that community members and tourists are informed and decrease water usage.
In addition, the provincial government has reached an agreement with the Gift of the Givers who will be able to provide potable water. The provincial department of transport and public works will be providing transport to deliver the water to Beaufort West. The water will be distributed by the municipality.
The plant will be returned to service on 31 December and reservoirs are expected to be back to full capacity by 3 January when the situation is expected to stabilise again.
In addition water shedding will be implemented from tonight at 18h00 to allow for the reservoirs to recover.
Anton Bredell, the Western Cape minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning has expressed his appreciation to all the roleplayers including Gift of the Givers for their swift response and assistance.
"In conclusion we are looking at more permanent solutions over the medium to long term to address Beaufort West's water challenges," Bredell said.
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