The department’s spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, says the shutdown is to ensure that the water quality is not compromised. He says the cleaning of the reservoirs has long been planned and they did consult with the community beforehand. They're currently filling tankers with water from boreholes on various farms.

“We have also put some contingency measures in place so that people can continue to have water. Even before then, when we were doing the consultation, we requested the community to store the necessary amount of water that would be able to sustain them throughout the period. For those who didn’t save any water, we have provided water tankers so that people will still be able to draw water.”

Ratau says water supply should be back by Saturday afternoon at the latest.

OFM News