The Amatola Water Board has promised to do its best to keep the water on during the arts festival that takes place in Makhanda in July. The town, home to Rhodes University and the Eastern Cape seat of the High Court, has been beset by severe water problems. A boil-before-drinking notice remains in place after high levels of E. coli were found in tap water last month.

The Amatola Water Board has promised to "pay special attention" to keeping the water on during the National Arts Festival due to take place in Makhanda in July.

The town has been hit by water problems, with hundreds of outages being reported since January.

Amatola Water is the implementing agent for the Department of Water and Sanitation in the province.

On Monday, a community meeting at the Makana municipal council chambers discussed the ongoing water crisis. This was attended by the Amatola Water Board, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the Makana Municipality.

DWS provincial head Portia Makhanya and chair of the Amatola Water Board Pam Yako were joined by Mayor of Makhanda Municipality Yandiswa Vara in a session facilitated by council speaker Mabhuti Matyumza.

Amatola Water has been appointed to manage the four water treatment works in the municipality - Waainek, James Kleynhans, Alicedale and Riebeeck East.

Yako explained that in the area under the Makana Municipality, the current water demand was 18 megalitres a day. Current production stands at 14 megalitres a day, meaning a shortfall of four megalitres a day.

"Amatola Water Board's interventions are directed at securing the current capacity of 14 megalitres...