DURBAN’S aged infrastructure has come under the spotlight again following a massive burst pipe in Morningside at the weekend which left some residents without water for up to 33 hours.
Ward councillor Martin Meyer said there was a burst on the major water line at the intersection of Peter Mokaba (North Ridge) Road and Trematon Drive on Saturday, which left residents from upper to lower Morningside without water.
“The municipality worked through Saturday night to fix the burst pipe and filled the hole on Sunday, however when workers turned on the water on Sunday, a valve went, and water in Trematon Drive was turned off again until late Sunday night,” he said.
Meyer said on his request, the municipality sent out water trucks, however he had to request more as there wasn’t enough water available for all residents in need.
“People also don’t seem to hear the bell which indicates the water trucks are in the area. I will be speaking to the municipality about how to address this issue,” he said.
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Meyer said he hadn’t yet seen the report on what caused the burst pipe, however he is aware of what he called eThekwini’s ‘ailing and failing’ infrastructure.
“The pipes are old and have not been maintained which is usually the cause of burst water pipes in eThekwini,” he said.
He said he would be speaking to the Roads Department to ensure rehabilitation of the road and kerbside was carried out effectively after the hole is closed and that he would also be going through a couple of service delivery issues relating to the multiple electrical outages in the area with the municipality.
“I will continue to engage with the City’s Electricity Department to find solutions to resolve this problem, as along with the old water infrastructure is the issue of old and unmaintained electrical cables in the area,” he said.
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