Milestones reached as Sol Plaatje wraps up Day 2 of water shutdown

THE SOL Plaatje Municipality reported strong progress on several fronts as Day 2 of the planned water shutdown in Kimberley drew to a close on Saturday, with officials confident that the setbacks encountered won’t delay the scheduled restoration of supply.

Key highlights from the technical update:

• Two of the three abstraction pumps that were serviced have been installed at the Riverton water treatment works, with the third expected to be in place on Saturday night.

• Cleaning of the 9-megalitre (ML) clearwater tank at Riverton is complete, while the smaller 2 ML tank will be cleaned on Sunday. 

• The bulk electrical upgrade work at Riverton is almost finished, with four hours of connection and testing work remaining. 

• Desludging of one of the two clarifiers at Riverton is done; the second will be completed on Sunday. 

• Large pressure-reducing valves at Kimdustria, Galeshewe, and Homevale have been successfully installed.

Bulk pipeline leak repair challenges

Crews faced difficulties working on leak repairs in low-lying areas like Gogga, which required pumping out water to access and repair the pipe. This also delayed work on a 900mm valve to be installed at Midstation, although teams were redeployed to other sections to stay on schedule.

Mayor and Speaker inspect repair sites

Sol Plaatje executive mayor Martha Bartlett and Speaker Dipuo Peters conducted site inspections on Saturday. Accompanied by municipal officials into the evening, the leadership duo assessed progress at key locations and were briefed by the technical team, led by municipal manager Thapelo Matlala, on the status of repairs and refurbishments.

Their visit formed part of efforts to ensure oversight and accountability during the planned shutdown period.

What’s still to come?

The remaining major tasks include:

• Work on the manifold at the high-lift pump station at Riverton,

• Replacement of the 600mm valve at Riverton, and

• Installation of the 900mm valve downstream of Midstation.

Despite the setbacks and remaining tasks, the municipality says the repair schedule remains on track and is not expected to delay the reinstatement of the water supply.