As bulk water supplier to Tshwane reservoirs, Rand Water embarked on its scheduled maintenance program in Tshwane this week, some reservoir levels in certain parts of Tshwane dropped drastically leaving residents with no other choice but to fend water for themselves for days.
One of the areas in Tshwane that has been affected by low water levels is the Laudium reservoir, which has seen levels dropping drastically.
Residents in the Laudium area were badly affected for the past 2-3 days having no water to some having very little water dripping from their taps. The past Wednesday(July 31) saw most residents
being affected, having no water from the morning in their taps, from around 8am, affecting both the young and the elders living in the area. Donald Phukubye of Bengal Str told the Laudium Sun, “We never knew that there will be water cuts. We were very surprised when the water was completely cut from our taps. I heard later that there was some communication on WhatsApp by the Laudium Sun, but I do not have access to WhatsApp.” Many schools allowed learners to leave earlier due to water not being available in their bathrooms. The Council arranged for water tankers that were parked off at certain points in the area, namely, Cnr Delhi and Bengal Street, 19th Avenue and Bengal Street. Dealo Erasmus of Eosin Str in who the Laudium Sun met at the Primrose Street
water points told the Laudium Sun, “I appreciate the fact that water was provided to us by these tankers. Imagine having to buy water every day in this current state of the economy. In as much as I had to travel to get this water, it will come in handy for me and my family, but I worry for those who have no transport to come fetch the water and walk back a distance with full containers. It is not easy to carry it, especially for women. “Although the community was provided with water from tankers, some residents expressed fear in consuming the water. Fathima Basheer of Mendhi Str, told the Laudium Sun that she is scared for the health of her family, saying, “The last time we had a water outage, we also received water from the tankers and unknowingly we drank the water. This led to two of my children becoming sick, with vomiting and diarrhea.”
Ward 61 Councillor, Naeem Patel, told the Laudium Sun, “I want to thank the major supermarkets in the area, in heeding our call for them to reduce the price of bottled water, during this time of need.”