Several areas in BCM brace for a weekend without water

Residents in parts of the Buffalo City Metro are bracing for a three-day water shutdown this weekend, but for many the interruption is merely a continuation of daily outages. Areas affected by the planned maintenance shutdown, scheduled from Friday to Sunday, include Phakamisa, Zwelitsha, Bhisho and surrounding areas, Sweetwaters, Schornville, Ndevana, Ilitha, Ntabozuko, Potsdam, Needs Camp, Ncera villages up to Kaysers Beach and parts of Kidd’s Beach. The work, by Amatola Water, includes a structural inspection of the Qongqotha regional storage reservoir and maintenance on the Laing Bulk Water System which is supplied by the Laing Dam water treatment plant.

All areas connected to the system are expected to be affected. Authorities have warned that while it is planned for supply to be restored on Sunday, it may take longer for the system to fully recover as reservoirs refill and pressure stabilises. For residents, however, the warnings come against a backdrop of long-standing shortages.

Phumlani resident Noxolo Oyo said tanker water had become the norm. In Ncerha, Bongi Sojola said: “Our taps have been dry for years.” Khanyo Manzi, from Needs Camp, said the situation had persisted for even longer. “We have not had running water for three years.

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We depend on water tankers … it is never clean water.” Lumka Tele, from Bhisho, said: “We have not had water for the past three days.” Ashleigh Stinton, from Ntabozuko, described the situation as frustrating. “We are always told to prepare, but many of us have already been struggling without water.”

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