Drunk Water Operator Leaves Town Without Water

A water plant operator is facing disciplinary action after leaving residents without water during an entire weekend in October because he was too drunk to open the plant.

The South African operator will face an internal disciplinary process, Times Live reported, citing local municipality spokesman Joseph Ngala.

"Yes, I can confirm that the official who was tasked with opening water for the public failed to do so for the whole weekend [between October 2 and 4]. We learned during a council meeting that the municipal manager has since intervened and placed another water plant operator in the Hazyview area. However, the official is now facing disciplinary action following the dry taps that were a result of his behavior," the spokesman said.

Infrastructure problems, including a faulty pump, require an operator at the plant to ensure water is available to local residences.

"We had a schedule to share the opening of the water with the other villages and towns. However, the water plant operator's actions led to total water shortage. As the municipality, we would like to apologize for the ordeal," the spokesman said, per the report.

The problem occurred in the South African province of Mpumalanga in the town of Mbombela. The town has a positive track record on water issues. It is one of the top performers on a regional Blue Drop audit, a leak reduction program in South Africa. The "Blue Drop Scorecard" rates how well municipal tap water authorities are functioning.

"Assessments are conducted by a panel consisting of a qualified drinking water quality professional as Lead Inspector, 2-4 Inspectors and a Learner Assessor who also coordinates the logistical arrangements of the assessments," the 2012 Blue Drop Report said.

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