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Tuesday 16 August 2011
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Tonnes of water wasted at Zandvlei An old problem resurfaces DALEEN FOUCHÉ
A
N estimated 1 600 tonnes – or 1,6 million litres – of municipal water has been lost in only six weeks due to problems with the water system at the Zandvlei Reserve caravan park. And some residents claim this problem is “years old”. Verdinant Versveld, a Lakeside resident, first noticed the water meter at the Zandvlei caravan park spinning “out of control” about six weeks ago. At that stage, the meter indicated that about 50 tonnes of water had been pumping through the system per day at the “almost empty” caravan park. This roughly translates into the same amount of water used by two middle income households for a month, says Patrick Dowling, environmental teacher with the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa). At one stage Versveld calculated that over 500 tonnes of water had been lost in 11 days. Versveld notified the City of Cape Town’s authorities of the problem, and received a quick response, but says the problem persisted. Councillor Tandeka Gqada, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services, says the problem
was first reported to council at the end of June. “A team from the Water and Sanitation Department was sent out to investigate. A leaking valve was fixed and it was suggested that a contractor be appointed to investigate other possible leaks,” says Gqada. She says that on 5 July a leak was reported once again, and the Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department partnered with the Water and Sanitation Department to obtain advice around finding and repairing the leaks. Though the meter reading dropped to 30 tonnes a day on Friday 8 July, Versveld says, he could not understand why the reading was still that high. “We used about 30 tonnes in one month here at home with a family of four,” says Versveld. Gqada says the Zandvlei Reserve is divided into three sections, which officials have examined “intensively”. “Officials have now identified a number of locations where there are underground leakages. These are mainly on the smaller diameter pipes that supply taps and ablutions within the park.” The Water and Sanitation Department is restricting the flow of water to the caravan park while the investigation and repairs progress. People using the park are being supplied with eight 20l water tanks. Versveld says the lowest reading on the meter was on 27 July, when apparent consumption dropped to 5
TAKEOFF: Dancers from the House of Art Vibration, a youth initiative, took to the air to help celebrate the launch of the Ocean View Recreational Hub last Tuesday. Read more on page 5. Photo: Bruce Sutherland
tonnes, but this he says was shortlived, and the reading picked up again to a rate of about 50 tonnes per day. Gqada, however, assures that the problem is receiving attention. She says a specialist contractor has been appointed to detect further underground leaks and repair them. “The contractor will also install additional isolating valves and meters in the park, which will make it possible to monitor and shut down the water supply in sections. This will make it easier to manage and monitor the entire internal water infrastructure in the future,” she says. Gqada points out that the caravan park is situated on a large portion of land, so a “systematic approach” is required to do the job properly. “The repairs and upgrade will take a number of weeks to conclude.” Gqada declines further comment until more clarity is gained, but
promises to inform the public the moment more is known. David Muller, chairperson of the Zandvlei Trust, says he was first made aware of a leak at the caravan park in 2007. When he first reported the leak in 2007, he says, the city only acted once he threatened to “go to the media”. He believes the city should have monitored the problem after the first time it was fixed. Dowling likewise feels the matter is “completely unacceptable”, and says the city should look to itself before it promotes water conservation among the public. Wessa’s Dowling assures that the chlorinated water leaking from the system will not have a negative effect on the vlei. He praises the city for its quick response in this instance, but he feels the leak points to a bigger problem with council’s water infrastructure. Muller, who sees the massive loss of water as a “tragedy”, thanks the
Versveld family for keeping tabs on the issue. Dowling also praises residents for picking up on the problem and demanding a solution. He further encourages people to conserve the precious commodity of water in any way they can, and implores everybody with the means to collect their own rainwater in tanks.