Obrein Simasiku
OMUTHIYA – A broken water pump at one of Tsumeb’s boreholes has left many residents with an acute shortage of water since Thursday last week.
As of yesterday, the council’s spokesperson Stella Imalwa-Nangolo in a telephonic interview said the issue has not been restored but engineers and technicians are working round the clock to fix the pump, suggesting it might only be fixed during the course of the week. In addition, she said, the situation is not so severe in some areas but the pressure is very low. “People have water in some areas, but very low, thus the notice was a precautionary measure to the residents so that they can be aware of what is happening and to use water sparingly,” said Imalwa-Nangolo. Meanwhile, the situation has forced Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb to switch from domestic water to raw water usage in an effort to remain afloat.
“All employees are requested not to drink tap water but collect drinking water from the acid plant and the power plant until further notice,” stated the communication manager, Alina Garises. Garises said they are in consistent contact with the municipality, and at this stage, the copper smelting mine does not anticipate adverse impact on its business operations.