Eskom has refused to take the “power outage caused water supply disruption” blame by Johannesburg Water, clarifying that they are innocent on this matter.
This was after the water entity blamed Eskom for another power failure at Rand Water's Palmiet system. This impacted the regional water systems, and some of them have not been pumping water.
Eskom said it was disappointed by Joburg Water’s public statement detailing incorrect information.
It added that this could cause unnecessary confusion and concern among the public.
“Following a thorough internal investigation, our technical teams have confirmed that all power infrastructure serving the area is operational and functioning within normal parameters,” Eskom clarified.
The entity has since updated that there was improvement.
In a statement, Eskom stated that Rand Water experienced an abnormality in one of their engine rooms which necessitated them to change their operating model as a temporary measure at the Palmiet station.
Subsequently, Rand Water was informed that they needed to reduce the load, as the temporary measure was causing overloading on the transformers that supply the station, and the load was reduced accordingly.
“On Thursday, Rand Water experienced an outage which resulted in one of their breakers being damaged. Rand Water informed Eskom that until the breaker is replaced, they will only be able to pump about 80% of the load.
“Eskom is working jointly with Rand Water to find a speedy resolution to address the challenges they are experiencing,” it said.
While the two entities continue with their squabbles, residents continue to suffer. Some parts of the city have been without water for several days.
The power utility stated that it would continue to provide reliable energy to all its customers and support organisations in delivering essential services to the community.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics