30 Nov 2020

Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) lead engineer for Kanye management area, Mr Patrick Lekote says his office is aware of the challenge of sewage pipes spillage in Jwaneng.

Mr Lekote said this while addressing Jwaneng Town councillors during a full forum on November 26.  

He said that the problem was caused by the fact that most of their pump stations in town were not working and needed replacing. 

He said at the moment 30 pump stations out of a total of 64 would be replaced, something he hoped would improve the efficiency of the sewage system.

Concerning the leakage of grey water pipes at Unit Six health personnel flats, Mr Lekote said that the issue would be looked into as they were not privy to it. 

He, however, said that the problem might emanate from blocked pipes down the line or poor design by the project developers.

“Normally when a project is undertaken, the design is done by the developer and we only come to connect it to our network. 

We have noted that sometimes project developers make poor designs that cause spillage when the drainage is put into practical use,” he said.

Mr Lekote also said that they would look into the issue of late response to faults, whether for sewage or potable water, adding that the issue might be a result of complacency by a few employees. 

He said this after most councillors raised concern that Jwaneng was stinking due to constant spillage of the drainage system, and that reports were usually attended to very late, which posed a health hazard.

The councillors also said the health personnel flats at Unit Six had a problem of grey water pipes leakage such that water from the upper floor often draining inside rooms on the lower floor.

They also raised a concern on what they perceived as a high monthly billing as compared to other areas such as Kanye. 

However, Mr Lekote indicated that their billing system was uniform across the country.

“The difference in the charges is just a result of individual usage,” he said, noting that Jwaneng’s monthly bills might appear too high because Jwaneng was a town and therefore its domestic water usage was high compared to villages, where many residents still used pit latrines, or lack modern bathrooms that uses a large amount of water.

He however advised that individuals who suspected that they were overcharged were free to compare their printed bills with the actual meter readings and approach the nearest office if there was a mismatch, of which the corporation would gladly adjust accordingly.  ends