QUICK READ

WATER was the final straw that broke the camel’s back for residents in high-lying parts of Pretoria, who protested this week to demand an end to the “drought” in supply.

While Mayor Randall Williams held talks with Rand Water on the crisis, residents took to the streets of Soshanguve and its surrounds. There was a run-in with the police, who fired rubber bullets at the crowd.

The residents blocked some of the busiest roads in the area, such as Ruth First Road and the M39. They also burnt tyres and blocked parts of the M43.

The City of Tshwane has pleaded with the public to conserve water to boost supply to aid high-lying areas in the north and east of the metro.

Last week, the city implemented stage 2 water restrictions, saying high-lying areas were at risk of draining reserves amid Eskom’s load shedding.

Residents of blocks K, L, G and H in Soshanguve said the water from the tankers was not healthy for drinking and their children had diarrhoea almost every day.

There also were not enough tankers to provide sufficient water for every family, to the extent that they had to choose between cooking, bathing or flushing their toilets. | IOL