The Northmead water tower remains out of operation, leaving Benoni residents frustrated as water supply issues continue. Despite being officially opened in June, the R47-million project has yet to provide relief due to contractual and operational setbacks.
Water Outages Continue to Affect Residents
Over the weekend of September 12, taps once again ran dry in parts of Benoni. The outage was linked to a pump stoppage at Rand Water’s Zwartkoppies pump station, which supplies the Benoni reservoir and ultimately the Northmead water tower.
Ward 27 councillor Lornette Joseph confirmed that while the 5.5-megalitre tower in Hospital Road is about 70% full, it has not yet been integrated into the system.
Contractor Payment Dispute Stalls Progress
The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) revealed that work on the Northmead water tower was suspended at the end of June. CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini explained that the on-site contractor halted progress due to delayed payment certificates.
“To enhance efficiency, the contractor was issued a snag list to complete, but this was delayed because of the payment dispute,” said Dlamini.
Water Treatment Still Underway
The delay also affected the chemical treatment of the water. On September 15, chlorine was added and fresh water pumped into the tower to aid proper agitation. The treated water will remain in the tower for a week before quality tests are conducted.
If the water meets SANS 241 standards for drinking water, the tower will finally be commissioned. Should contamination be found, the tower will need to be sterilised, refilled, treated, and tested again before supplying residents.
Residents Left Waiting
For now, Benoni residents will have to wait until testing confirms that the Northmead water tower is safe for use. Until then, water supply disruptions are likely to continue, leaving many questioning when the long-promised solution will finally become a reality.
