Whittlesea reservoir overflow resolved after ActionSA raises concerns

Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) says an overflowing reservoir in Whittlesea has been attended to after ActionSA raised concerns about water being lost while some residents were allegedly experiencing dry taps.

ActionSA Chris Hani Regional Chairperson Lucky Kgosimere said the party discovered the overflowing reservoir during an oversight visit to water infrastructure in Whittlesea.

According to Kgosimere, the party had visited the area to inspect progress at a reservoir construction site when members noticed a nearby reservoir overflowing.

ActionSA alleged that treated water was running to waste at a time when some communities in the area were struggling with water supply.

The party criticised the municipality over the situation and attributed it to what it described as neglect and poor management of water infrastructure.

“ActionSA conducted an oversight visit in one of the water reservoir construction sites in Whittlesea in ensuring the construction is proceeding as per the promise to our community by Chris Hani District Municipality, only to find that the next reservoir was overflowing and consumable water running to waste while our communities are in desperate need of water and taps are dry,” Kgosimere said.

The party further called on CHDM to address water supply problems and ensure residents have access to reliable clean water.

Komani News approached Chris Hani District Municipality on Wednesday morning, asking whether it was aware of the overflowing reservoir, what had caused it, whether the problem had been addressed and for its response to ActionSA’s concerns about water supply in the area.

CHDM spokesperson Dr Sandiso Tyembile confirmed on Wedmesday afternoon that the overflow had been resolved.

“The overflowing reservoir in Whittlesea has been resolved. The facility was affected by minor technical issues and the rainy weather conditions in the past few days. Water supply and flow is also stabilised in and around the reservoir,” Tyembile said.

The municipality did not provide further technical details on the nature of the fault or specify how much water may have been lost during the overflow.

ActionSA maintained that water supply problems required greater attention from the district municipality and said it would continue conducting oversight and raising service-delivery concerns.

CHDM is responsible for water and sanitation services across the Chris Hani district. The municipality’s confirmation that the overflow has been resolved addresses the immediate problem raised by ActionSA, while the municipality said water supply and flow around the reservoir were stabilising.