Disruptions to water supply in and around Bloemfontein are set to be a thing of the past with the official opening of a multi-million-ran water reservoir by Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality executive mayor Thabo Manyoni last week.

A total of 48 000 households in the metro will now benefit from an uninterrupted and regular supply of water.

The project, which started in 2011, was initiated in order to ease the water shortage challenges that were a frequent occurrence for the residents of the nearby Phahameng township, among others.

It was also intended to ease the pressure on the water supply system, especially on weekends when everybody was home and using water for a variety of needs.

Built at a cost of R42-million, the project saw scores of locals being employed to work on site and to build the fencing around the reservoir to keep it safe from vandals.

At full capacity the reservoir is built to contain 42-million litres of water ready for use by the locals.

During the official opening, Manyoni said the project will assist communities which had in the past been dogged by acute water shortages.

“It is also going to be used to supply water for new developments that we have already agreed on, such as the Vista Park 2 and 3 developments, as well as the Kenneth Motshabi township development, which is known as Dinaweng,” he said.

Manyoni said the development was in line with his administration’s drive to better the lives of the poor and to make true on the promises of the ruling party during the past elections.

“Water is life, and it is a constitutional right of our people, hence we embarked on this project to make sure our people have their dignity restored through the provision of this important, life-giving lubricant,” said the mayor.

Officials on the construction site said the reservoir was at almost 45 percent full – and that by the end of this week it will be 100 percent full.

Metro municipal manager Sibongile Mazibuko said the final water tightness testing for the reservoir will be conducted before the end of this month.

She said a new bulk line supply pipeline will take water from the reservoir to the areas of Hillside View and Turflaagte.

“The pipeline consists of an 800mm diameter pipeline, approximately 8.3km in length,” Mazibuko said.

She added that the facility will be fenced off to minimise chances of vandalism – and that a telemetric system will ensure that the water is not contaminated in any way.

Phahameng resident Mampho Mokebe said the reservoir will ease her troubles as she goes about her household chores.

“The sad thing about the water here was that it was never sufficient when you wanted to do your laundry and spring cleaning,” she said.

“Now one can be assured to start and finish one’s cleaning and washing with no water shortage hiccups.”

The project, which at its height provided employment to almost 80 people, is also meant to assist the metro in eradicating the VIP and bucket toilet systems.

The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s drive to eradicate VIP and bucket toilets has necessitated the extension of the capacity of the waste water treatment plant at Sterkwater to handle more volumes of waste water for treatment and purification at any point in time.

The facility will now be able to handle a volume of 20 kilolitres of waste water, unlike in the past when it only carried 10 kilolitres.

It was officially opened by executive mayor Thabo Manyoni during a site inspection tour last week.

Having cost Mangaung R33.5-million, with R21.5-million of this spent on civil construction work and the rest on mechanical and electrical equipment, the development will benefit at least 38 000 households in the metro.

“As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, it has become imperative that we revisit our infrastructure so that it is able to accommodate the population here, as well as plan for future developments which will also require water,” Manyoni said.

He said the metro was determined to improve the quality of life of the people of Mangaung and to keep their toilets flushing and their taps running.

Manyoni, however, called on residents not to block the system by using newspapers and other undesirable objects to cleanse themselves following a visit to the bathrooms.

“That would be a major problem that would render the system unable to function the way it is intended to,” he said.

The new facility is fitted with new ponds, a biological reactor, two clarifiers as well as a chlorination tank.

The extension of the facility will continue in the next two financial years to add 20 to 30 more kilolitres of water to the capacity of this facility.