Sol Plaatje must turn streetlights on for festive season
| by Christopher Phiri – DA Caucus Leader, Sol Plaatje Municipality |
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| Date: 17 October 2019 |
| Release: Immediate |
| The Democratic Alliance remains deeply concerned about the unabating water crisis in Sol Plaatje municipality.Through our own regular monitoring of the Newton Reservoir, it is concerning to note that the water levels, which should at least be at a steady 16 feet, are battling to rise above just 10 feet. The nightly water shutdown is further only assisting to sustain this inadequate water level, as the recovery of one to two feet that takes place overnight, is again depleted by the afternoon. In effect, there is no improvement in stabilising Kimberley’s water supply.The DA has also noted that, of the three dams at the reservoir, one is completely empty.Messages that are being sent out by the municipality, claiming that the water levels are “steadily increasing” are thus nothing but a fabrication to appease angry residents.The truth of the matter is that Sol Plaatje municipality has still not addressed the matter of debilitating water leaks that, according to the Auditor-General, see 50% of the Sol Plaatje’s water going to waste. In this regard, Sol Plaatje has not even repaired a water leak at the very entrance to the Newton Reservoir that appears to have been there for a number of years already.Sol Plaatje is also not addressing the newly discovered “fresh water dam” on the outskirts of Kimberley near 3SAI. It is further understood that they are not planning to fix the leaking pipeline causing the “dam”, until the Newton Reservoir is full.It’s a catch 22 situation – how will Newton Reservoir ever reach full capacity if the municipality doesn’t give attention to the many problems diverting water flow away from it?It is time for Sol Plaatje to be open about the true scale of the water crisis. Only then will the municipality be in a position to efficiently address the real problems. This is of critical importance, given the noticeable increase in temperatures, not to mention a tourist influx expected over the festive season, which is just around the corner.The DA will continue exerting pressure on Sol Plaatje to stop playing the blame game with residents and start taking ownership of its self-inflicted problems.The DA further encourages Kimberley residents to regularly fill their water containers and ensure that they have some water stores in place because, contrary to what Sol Plaatje wants you to think, the water situation is not yet stable. |
| Media Enquiries |
| Christopher PhiriDA Caucus Leader, Sol Plaatje Municipality078 740 9930 Shelley De WittResearcher082 847 1387 |
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