Pretoria runs dry
2003-10-02 22:00
Pretoria - Water shortages in parts of Pretoria left up to 20 000 households, hospitals, schools and shopping centres high and dry after the metro council neglected to inform them about maintenance work to water pipes in these areas.
The water shortages in the northern and eastern parts of the city reached crisis proportions after some areas were left without water for two days.
Although the water supply was reconnected to some areas on Thursday afternoon, other areas were set to be reconnected only late on Thursday evening.
The Tshwane metro council sent more than 20 water tanks to shopping centres, schools and police stations on Thursday afternoon.
Staff at private hospitals said they had to buy bottled water for patients and, in some cases, wounds could not be cleaned properly. Schools reported that the cut-offs seriously affected toilets and drinking water for pupils in the hot weather.
Antoinette Mostert, spokesperson for the council, admitted that no individual notices about the cut-offs were sent to consumers and that no posters or pamphlets were issued.
An earlier statement to the media indicated that the water supply would be disrupted between 03:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday. However, thousands were still left without water a day later.
Doctor Louis Potgieter of the Tshwane council admitted that the interruptions should only have lasted for a day.
"Unfortunately we had unforeseen problems in the construction process."
- Beeld