RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - Over the past five to seven days, Rustenburg Herald has been inundated by calls and messages from angry members of various areas in the community to complain about water shortages over a large area throughout and around town.
Despite notices sent out by the Rustenburg Municipality on 17 and 24 February respectively, it seems that an alarming number of consumers never managed to see these notices and were confronted by shortages during the past week totally unprepared.
Though the restrictions or “rationing” as the municipality alluded to them seem to be largely affecting Ward 17 (mainly town house complexes in Cuckoo Avenue) several extensions of Rustenburg town have also been affected. Cllr Tanya Rothman DA Ward Councillor for Ward 17 says that the age old problem of the notorious Barnardsvlei Reservoir (Mooinooi koppie) has resurfaced during recent heat wave conditions over large areas in the country and that Rand Water could not manage to keep water levels in the Barnardsvlei Reservoir at the required level. It is old hat that the Barnardsvlei Reservoir is the main reservoir from Rand Water to feed the entire Rustenburg system of “municipal” reservoirs. The effect of shortages have been most evident at high lying areas, Rothman explained.
Water shortages took a turn for the worst when the Rustenburg Municipality embarked upon a shutdown (“rationing”) of a number of reservoir between 18:00 and 05:00 in an attempt to bring reservoirs with alarming low levels up to acceptable standards. Two notices on the areas affected by the shortages or “rationing” have been sent out by the Rustenburg Municipality to keep consumers informed about the emergency situation, Rothman said.
What makes matters worse in Ward 17 is the fact that there are at least eight town house complexes in Cuckoo Avenue alone with several others in high lying areas around the Cashan hills. The entire Waterfall East and large areas on the R24 are also affected. Probably the most critical areas are those at Checkers Hyper (phase 2) at the Platinum Square and Selly Park where a total shutdown of water has been experienced for the past eight days, she said. On behalf of the Rustenburg Municipality Rothman has called on consumers to exercise extreme caution when using water and to please refrain from watering gardens, filling up of swimming pools, washing of vehicles and paved areas in front of their properties.
