Online Reporter
Ronald Mpofu and Moreblessing Phiri in Plumtree
THE Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Albert Mavhunga, has promised to engage various government arms, inclusive of the Finance Ministry, to ensure that funds are released towards the repair of a sedimentation tank in Plumtree.
A sedimentation tank is a storage tank in which wastewater is filled and stored over time to remove the suspended particles present in the water. These particles fall to the bottom of the tank because of gravity and the use of flocculants, which have been added to the wastewater in primary treatment.
According to Plumtree town council officials, the collapse of the sedimentation tank has reduced treatment capacity by 25 percent, increasing the time needed to fill the water reservoir from 17 to 23 hours.
This has resulted in the local authority failing to continuously supply water to its residents.
Speaking after touring the Plumtree Water Treatment Plant, Deputy Minister Mavhunga said he had noted a critical and urgent infrastructure challenge.
He said the disruption to water treatment caused by the collapse of the sedimentation tank had serious and far-reaching implications, not only for service delivery but also for public health, sanitation, and the overall well-being of residents, businesses and industry.
“I would like to commend the district for its swift response and continued quality water supply despite the reduced capacity, this is in line with taking heed of the Presidential Call to Action, which emphasises zero compromise to service delivery.
“This issue of the collapsed Sedimentation tank, has our full attention at the Ministry. I will be engaging the Minister of Local Government and other critical Cabinet colleagues, such as Finance, to explore ways to fast-track support to the emergency,” said Deputy Minister Mavhunga.
Giving a background of the collapsed tank Plumtree town engineer, Sijabuliso Bulle revealed that the water treatment plant was constructed around 1972 and is the oldest plant in Matabeleland South Province.
“Plumtree has two dams, Mangwe and Mhlanga, with a capacity of 8,713 and 4,239 megalitres respectively. The furthest being Mangwe, located 50km from the town, and Mhlanga is at 10km. Due to the prevailing ground conditions and the difference in head from source to treatment plant, seven booster pumps are installed.
“Whenever the system loses power, our booster pumps are compromised. We sometimes also experience power surges and low voltages, which affect the motors and result in them being blown out. We are in the process of installing back-up power, with currently two generators on the network, with a deficit of 5. New motor sets and a dedicated power line are required to ensure a continuous supply of raw water to the town,” said the Engineer
“Mhlanga Dam water quality has diminished over the years, and it is experiencing reduced inflows, due to watershed water-intensive activities happening upstream of all the dams’ tributaries. This increases water treatment costs as more chemicals are required to treat the water. This necessitates new water sources with Shashani and Ngwizi Dam being identified as some of the possible sources,” he added.
He revealed that areas such as Mathendele extension are the most affected, with residents sometimes going up to three days without receiving water, while other areas have access.
“Our water treatment plant has a design capacity of 6 megalitres per day and was commissioned in 1972 (believed to be the oldest in the region). It needs an upgrade as a long-term measure and rehabilitation in the medium to short term. Most of the structures and systems are outdated, exceeding their design life, exhibiting signs of collapse and ageing, witnessed by the collapse of one of the sedimentation tanks and distribution tower pipe corrosion, hence depressed production capacity to meet effective demand.”
He further explained that the water tower, 0.5 Ml, was constructed in 1991 and provides water to high-lying areas such as Mathendele.
