Equipment failures at a water plant in Tshwane have led to a deterioration in the quality of water in parts of the city.

Tshwane MMC for utility services Phillip Nel said the Temba water treatment plant has been temporarily shut down.

Nel said the equipment failure mainly involved the granular-activated carbon-filtering system at the ozone plant.

“Repairs on the ozone plant are going very well, but the contractor is experiencing delays with the sourcing of parts to repair the granular-activated carbon-filtering system.

“This means that the water deteriorates further during the distribution system. We are currently busy with those repairs,” he said.

Nel said the City expected the repairs to be completed by Friday.

“These problems originate from neglected maintenance and also capacity building during previous decades,” Nel said.

Areas affected included Hammanskraal, Temba View, Suurman, Dipoye, Mashemong and surrounds.

“I need to advise those 40% of residents that receive water from the Temba water plant, even when the water is clear, it is not safe for drinking and cooking.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Rand Water also announced that it had implemented a stage 3 water restriction in some parts of the city in regions 1, 3 and 4.

The water utility implemented the restrictions after a drop in its reservoir water levels.

Nel said they had increased the number of water tankers to 70 to supply areas with water shortages.

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