The eThekwini Municipality says that repairs have begun on the aqueduct along the M19 in Reservoir Hills, which burst on Saturday, flooding homes in the nearby uMgudulu Road informal settlement.
A video showing a fountain of water gushing out of the pipe went viral on social media.
The municipality said the pipeline was isolated and water is no longer gushing, as seen on the video.
“Our team is investigating the cause of the burst and assessing the extent of the damage,” the municipality stated.
The municipality also warned residents against building on pipeline servitudes.
“Encroachment on pipeline servitudes not only endangers lives but also hampers the City’s ability to maintain underground infrastructure,” the municipality said.
The DA said that the City has failed to enforce regulations or provide safer alternatives for vulnerable residents.
“The municipality’s warning (on building near pipeline servitudes) rings hollow,” said Marlaine Nair, DA MPL and West Durban Constituency Head.
“Simply cautioning residents without providing safer housing options is a gross abdication of responsibility.
This community was severely impacted during the April 2022 floods, and to date, many residents have not received full relief.” The settlement, built on the pipeline servitude, has been a disaster waiting to happen, Nair said.
“The blame for this catastrophe falls squarely at the door of the ANC-led municipality, which has turned a blind eye to settlement expansion in high-risk areas and failed to maintain ageing infrastructure. Preliminary information suggests the burst was caused by an inspection hole succumbing to pressure,” she added.
The DA commended ward 23 councillor Alicia Kissoon for her quick response to the incident.
“Councillor Kissoon was the first on-site, alerting officials and disaster management. Her actions saved lives, but it’s unacceptable that disaster management teams arrived hours later,” Nair said.
Speaking to The Mercury, Kissoon, who has been on the ground assisting affected families, explained the extent of the impact.
“Disaster management has engaged with a service provider to put up a temporary tent for the displaced residents.
The affected include 44 households, comprising 87 adults and 30 children — a total headcount of 117 people,” Kissoon stated.
She described the scene as chaotic, with desperate residents wading through floodwaters to salvage their belongings.
“This line feeds water to Westwood towards Durban, and the water department is already working on repairs,” she said.
The DA called for an immediate investigation into the cause of the burst and an audit of the municipality’s pipeline maintenance schedule. The party also demanded urgent intervention by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements to provide temporary shelter and accelerate housing projects for the affected residents.
“This disaster highlights the municipality’s failure to enforce regulations and provide dignified housing. The housing project under way is inadequate to accommodate the growing number of residents.”
The municipality had not responded to a request for comment on the concerns raised by the DA by deadline on Sunday.