The North West Provincial Government has established a Joint Water Crises Task Team tasked with the responsibility of developing integrated solutions to respond to the water supply challenges in Mahikeng and neighbouring towns.
The task team established on the directive of Premier Thandi Modise stems from her concern about the recent water interruptions which have seen government buildings and the general community without water for the past two weeks.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the cause of the water interruption in Mahikeng and surrounding areas stems from various reasons including but not limited to depleted water resources such as dams, boreholes and springs, drought, declining dam levels, aging infrastructure as well as high water consumption patterns. The situated is exacerbated by the fact that during this time of the year the level of consumption of water by consumers increases due to various activities such as gardening, ingestion and agricultural.
The task team comprising of the senior and technical officials from the Office of Premier, Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, Department of Water Affairs, Botshelo Water, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Mafikeng, Ditsobotla,Ramotshere Moiloa and Tswaing Local Municipalities is set to investigate and implement short-term to long-term plans for resolving water challenges in Mahikeng and adjacent towns.
The Task Team led by the Acting Director General for the Provincial Administration, Johannes Rantete has already identified quick wins to bringing a relief to the water challenges and is expecting to see improvement in the next week or two.
The relevant authorities owning the infrastructure supplying water are also developing long-term solutions aimed at bringing permanent solutions to the water problem. Furthermore, as part of way of ensuring equitable access to potable water, local municipalities have started with the process of restricting water usage during non-peak hours.
Members of the Mafikeng community, government departments and businesses are therefore strongly urged to use water sparingly to ensure continuous supply of water and refrain from watering their gardens until the water supply improves.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele (Spokesperson)
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 388 3157
E-mail: LKgwele@gmail.com
