Broken standpipes leave Rehoboth residents without water
Residents in informal areas of Rehoboth are facing water challenges because of broken standpipes, with elderly and disabled people among those struggling to access water close to their homes. The issue was raised during the Rehoboth Town Council’s ordinary meeting on Monday, where councillor Justin Coetzee said residents were being forced to pay people to carry water for them because they could not walk long distances to functioning standpipes.
Coetzee said some residents had a standpipe near their homes, but could not access water because it was not working. “I haven't received anything back from the email,” the councillor said, referring to a previous request for information on the condition of standpipes, particularly in informal areas. He further stated that the information was needed to provide residents with transparent answers when they approached their elected representatives with questions about water.
“It’s a bit frustrating if you can not give,” the councillor said, adding that councillors needed information to respond to the communities they represented. He also raised questions about prepaid water metres and said councillors had previously discussed how to move forward with the process. Responding, the chief executive officer, Ronal Windswaai said the requested information had been sent to the finance department, which had previously worked with the standpipes.
Windswaai said the council was unable to provide an accurate account at the time because of discrepancies in the records and difficulties in tracking standpipes that had been installed, removed and replaced. Some standpipes had become defective and were returned to stores before being replaced, making it difficult to establish an accurate record, he said.
The CEO said he wanted information showing how many standpipes had been replaced, how many remained installed and how many were defective or not working. He attributed the delay partly to staff shortages and said the council was working on the information. The mayor said the issue should be prioritised, particularly where residents were without water, so that immediate solutions could be considered.
