Listen to Mangaung Metro talking about #BloemWaterCrisis

Technical teams of the Mangaung Metro have been working tirelessly to repair a burst pipe supplying water to a main reservoir in Bloemfontein. Mangaung Municipal spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, says it is difficult to say how long it will take to repair it, but work is expected to take 24 hours. As a result, residents in most parts of the city have no water since yesterday, following an emergency shutdown on Thursday when a burst occurred in the same pipeline. It mostly affected residents in the southern parts of the city, including Pellissier, Fichardt Park and Fauna. 

Khedama says after the burst in the pipeline was fixed at the weekend, water was pumped to the Brandkop Reservoir yesterday. However, shortly after it was reported that the water level in the Uitkyk Reservoir was drastically dropping as a result of another burst in the pipeline.

Residents in the southern suburbs of Bloemfontein were without water since last Tuesday when Bloem Water did planned maintenance work to the pipeline near the Brandkop Reservoir. A leakage in the pipeline occurred and had to be repaired. It is reported that another burst in the pipeline outside the city occurred on Saturday. It was repaired and water reached the reservoir yesterday providing water to some residents in the southern suburbs for a short period of time. Water pressure in other parts of the city was low.

Rossouw Botes, a local DA Ward Councillor, who is well-informed when it comes to water issues, says water had reached the Brandkop Reservoir between 08:00 and 09:00 yesterday morning.

Botes visited the reservoir and confirmed 1 100 litres water per second were pumped into this reservoir, however at about 13:00 Bloem Water told Botes about another burst.

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