The drought just got real for folks in Kimberley, the Newton Reservoir having almost run dry and the town without water as of yesterday afternoon.

As levels dropped the Sol Plaatje Municipality announced the immediate implementation of emergency supply measures, although even this couldn’t stop the inevitable from happening. Below from IOL:

Municipal spokesman Sello Matsie said on Wednesday afternoon that the water levels at the Newton Reservoir were extremely low, which meant that the municipality was unable to build up enough pressure to supply water, especially to the suburbs.

“With the water supply less than demand, there is a bit of a struggle to build any reserve at all. The situation has been compounded by a leak on a chlorination pipe at the Riverton Purification Plant, which has since been fixed”…

The lack of water at the Newton Reservoir meant that the municipality was not able to fill up tanks to supply residents with water as it did over the weekend.

“The fire department is also not able to assist as its resources will be kept for its core function, which is to fight fires,” Matsie said.

If only they had a fire pool nearby. Should we really make a joke about Kimberley being a hole or leave that one to your imagination?

[source:iol]