Residents have gone nine days without water supply in Durban's inner-west surburbs of Ashley and Pinetown.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Some Pinetown residents have gone nine days without a water supply to their taps, and some are resorting to using water from their pools to flush toilets and bathe.
These were some of the challenges in Ashley and the surrounding Pinetown suburbs on Saturday, as residents turned to community WhatsApp groups to express their outrage.
Concerned resident Mitchell Harrison explained that the area had experienced low water pressure, and some roads had been without water for nine days.
He said faults were logged, plumbers came out, but then left and allegedly reported to their manager that the job was completed.
Harrison said residents were frustrated that a water tanker had been provided to the ratepayers in the interim, adding that some schools had to close and make alternative plans for water.
“People have reported that the water comes back into the pipes at night with very low pressure, and by the morning, it is empty. With low water pressure, we can live. I had plumbers measure one bar of pressure in the pipes. At different times, some roads have water and others don't," he said.
Harrison said municipal workers were seen bleeding the pipelines to the fire hydrant, which had water; however, his house taps, just five meters away, were empty.
From what he gathered on his neighbourhood WhatsApp groups, residents were buying water from shops, some had Jojo tanks, and others used water from the pool to flush their toilets and take a shower. Others reported going to relatives' homes in other suburbs to shower.
“There was also a sense of community spirit, where residents in other roads that do have water opened up their doors to help others fill up water bottles. Plumbers are walking along the pipelines daily, but we are not being told the truth,” he said.
eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba is expected to convene an Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting with Umngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) executives on Saturday to address the current water supply challenges affecting several areas in the city.
“The water shortage is caused by a damaged valve in the UUW system. This incident has resulted in a reduction of 150 megalitres of water per day that UUW normally supplies to eThekwini Municipality for treatment at the Durban Heights Water Works,” Xaba explained.
The damaged valve has since been removed, and repair work is currently under way to balance the water supply system across impacted areas.
“The situation is beyond the city’s control as the incident occurred within the Umngeni-uThukela Water system. While repair work continues, residents are urged to use water sparingly,” said Xaba.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za