Ageing infrastructure puts pressure on Mafikeng hospital’s water supply
Mafikeng Provincial Hospital is considering measures to strengthen its water storage capacity after a supply interruption.
The hospital experienced an interruption in its water supply at the weekend, affecting most areas of the facility.
The situation resulted in limited water availability within the hospital, necessitating immediate intervention to minimise disruptions to healthcare service delivery.
The hospital’s spokesperson, Omphile Morwaagae, said the interruption was caused by low water pressure from the main supplier, Magalies Water. This prevented the hospital’s two primary facility-based water storage tanks from being adequately filled to meet the demand for water in the wards.
The water supply has since been fully restored following a temporary intervention by the fire department and the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality, which provided water to the hospital.
Morwaagae said hospital management is considering permanent measures to strengthen the hospital’s water storage capacity and ensure a more reliable supply of water, to minimise the impact of similar interruptions on hospital operations in future.
“The hospital’s current water storage capacity is limited and has not kept pace with the population growth over the past 58 years. Furthermore, the existing water storage infrastructure serves both Mafikeng Provincial Hospital and Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital, placing additional demand on the available capacity.”
According to Morwaagae, the long-term plan is to refurbish the existing boreholes and procure a water monitoring system that will enable the hospital to continuously monitor water levels across all its storage tanks and ensure that the available water supply is known and effectively managed at all times.