At 4pm on Tuesday afternoon water was still being pumped from the 965mm main water pipeline from Riverton to Kimberley and welding work to plug the four holes in the pipe had not yet started.
The water in Kimberley could be off for longer than initially expected.
At 4pm on Tuesday afternoon water was still being pumped from the 965mm main water pipeline from Riverton to Kimberley and welding work to plug the four holes in the pipe had not yet started.
Municipal spokesperson, Sello Matsie, said that only once the water had been cleared from the pipe, would the welding commence.
“The work area has been cleared due to the wet soil conditions while a mobile crane has been utilised to remove the concrete air valve chamber to ensure a safe working environment.”
Matsie stated that use had been made of the opportunity while the water was off to install a T-piece at Newton Reservoir for a water connection to the Sol Plaatje University. “In terms of this installation, we are currently busy checking that the bolts line up,” he said.
While the municipality warned on Monday that the water would be off until late on Tuesday night, Matsie said the delay in draining the pipeline had impacted on the initial timelines. “We will, however, do our best to successfully restore supply,” he added.
Water supply to Kimberley was switched off on Tuesday morning at 5am to allow the municipality to repair four holes in the pipe behind Supermix. The work will involve welding temporary metal sheets onto the line in an attempt to plug the leaks.
It is believed that the pipe has been leaking for several weeks and, as a result, a massive dam of fresh drinking water has formed in the nearby veld.
A decision was taken to repair the leaks after a serious loss of water on the 965mm pipeline resulted in the levels at the Newton Reservoir dropping despite pumping from Riverton at full capacity.
