The eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit head, Ednick Msweli, said the City conducted a planned water shutdown on Thursday to investigate the northern aqueduct which supplies water to Trenance Park in Verulam.
The Mercury reported that some residents have been without water for about 100 days which led to protests this week where roads were blocked with burning trees and tyres.
In a briefing at the Durban City Hall on Thursday on the state of the water supply in eThekwini, the head of the City’s Water and Sanitation Unit, Ednick Msweli, said there was no water in some areas on Thursday.
Msweli said: “From early this morning we have shut the inlets to most of the reservoirs. This is to deal precisely with the problem of Trenance Park.
“What we are doing today is to close the water that is going to reservoirs so that all the water as, much as possible, is in the northern aqueduct pipeline to pressurise it to see if there is a leak that we haven’t picked up before.
He said the City had previously been up and down that pipeline a number of times.
“But because it’s an exercise that we are in control of, later on we are going to open the reservoir outlets and restore water,” he said.
Msweli added that the City understood the plight of the people of Trenance Park.
In reaction to concerns raised by residents that the water they used from water takers was making them sick, the City said it was not aware of the issue.
Msweli said the City would have to investigate and would require the tankers’ numbers.
He said the City tested the water it supplied through water tankers.
“I really don’t know how that would happen but it would help if we got specific reports, even if you gave us the registration of the tanker that you took the water from so that our investigation can be more direct, but it's highly unlikely. It’s good to investigate and get to the bottom of it,” he said.
During the briefing Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said eThekwini Municipality had a population of over four million and that the majority of residents were receiving water.
“However, rapid urbanisation saw people moving from rural areas to the city in search of work opportunities. This, coupled with ageing infrastructure and vandalism, put pressure on existing infrastructure,” he said.
Kaunda said the current water supply was as follows:
The Inner West Region water supply was sitting at 95% and areas that remained affected included Nagina, Birchwood and Mariannridge.
In the Outer West Region the supply was at 75% and areas currently affected with no water supply included parts of KwaXimba, Sankontshe, Shongweni, Zwelibomvu, Hammarsdale, Inwabi and Ngonyameni.
Central Region were at 100%.
South Region: The supply was 80% and areas still affected with no water supply included KwaMakhutha, Adams Mission, Athlone Park, the Mfume system, and Folweni.
North Region: Supply was at 80% and areas affected were Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Verulam, Trenance, Parkgate and Phoenix and Mt Edgecombe.
The Mercury