04 Jul 2022

Hydrologists are on the ground in Monganakodu ward in Taung to assess the probable cause of water seepage in the area and provide intervention measures to tackle the problem.

The visible ponds around the ward have raised concern among the residents on Monganakodu fearing that if the problem was not addressed at the earliest it could cause major problems for their lives and property.

In an interview recently, South East District Council (SEDC) chairperson, Mr Oshima Peloewetse said the district leadership had met with relevant authorities to appreciate challenges. 

“We have assembled a technical team that suggested that the issue was beyond them and needed experts. We then robed in Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) expertise and we are on it. 

They associate the seepage with a natural source and based on their advice and findings we shall have intervention measures to further address the challenge,” he said.

Contrary to some insinuations, Mr Peloewetse said WUC had provided reasonable doubt the seepage was not coming from their pipe network.

“We really care, hence these efforts, they see us every two to three days going there to see how best we can resolve the issue. 

However, there has been some attempts by members of the community to pile up rubble [to step on] in order to access their locality, which has added to the challenge because now instead of water flowing the natural route it ponds in several plots in the area,” he added.

For his part, deputy council secretary for technical services, Mr Dickie Kebinakgabo said, “We took a field trip to assess this water logging in the area. 

One thing we identified was that people were piling rubble in an effort to ease ponding. 

We realised that the rubble might have redirected water from its natural pathway to some plots,” he said.

Mr Kebinakgabo said one of the recommendations that the technical committee made was to remove the rubble and allow water to flow freely.

He said the technical committee made recommendations based on the study that was done by the Department of Geological Survey (DGS) in 2013.

The Malete Landboard had requested an investigation from DGS to assess the cause of the seepage and recommend intervention measures. 

Observation from the investigation showed that there was ponding in the area resulting from surface run off during the rainy season.

Mr Kebinakgabo said the study had suggested a drainage system to contain the water, however, the problem was that water was not from the surface, but from underground. 

“We carried out trial pits to gauge the level of water along the Bolux road. Water filled up immediately and we realised it’s an underground source. Hydrologists are on site and it looks like it’s a very wide area,” he said.

He said the local leadership was now awaiting advice from the experts, which was expected in two months. “All we know is that there are a lot of homesteads that have been affected. 

We hope our team will guide us and we are also going to consult with morafe,” he added. Ends