CAPE TOWN – The Kannaland Municipality has acknowledged ongoing water challenges in Zoar.
The town hosted an event during National Water Week last week during which various water challenges facing several South African communities were highlighted.
Kannaland’s Acting Municipal Manager Ian Avontuur said challenges around water supply were exacerbated by load shedding and unplanned power outages.
However, he said there had been improvement over the past few weeks thanks to collaboration with the provincial government and the sharing of technical expertise.
Avontuur said despite efforts to strive for reliable water provision various challenges coupled with drought conditions had been with them for more than a decade.
The municipality faced numerous constraints, including financial, technical skills and ageing water infrastructure that has been obstructing efforts to ensure uninterrupted water supply.
He denied allegations that the municipality had water problems daily or that tap water is dirty or undrinkable.
Avontuur said that in Zoar, water was turned off between 8pm and 4am every day, to allow the reservoirs sufficient time to fill up.
They have been unable to supply Zoar with 24-hour uninterrupted water supply due to a lack of water storage capacity.
Avontuur added they were prioritising water and sanitation infrastructure and a number of water-related projects being planned and implemented for Kannaland.
VOICING CONCERNS
During the two-day event in Zoar and another Cape community Barrydale, residents voiced concern about various water-related issues.
Marianne Mars, a small-scale pig farmer from Zoar, told Eyewitness News, “When you open your taps there's no water. But this crisis comes a long way. Every year when it's summer the municipality closes our taps. Every night we don't have water. Some of the areas in Zoar happen during the day mostly. They don't have water".
Mars said she often had to drive to a fountain to collect water.
"When there's no water sometimes I have to drive to a fountain to fetch water but even when here is water, i still have to drive all the way for clean water, because of the quality of the water".
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