THE eThekwini Municipality will be imposing strict water restrictions in several areas in Durban after a crisis that is currently being exeperienced at the Hazelmere Dam.
The dam levels have dropped to 29 per cent and areas which will be affected inlude Waterloo, Verulam, La Mercy and uThongathi.
Ashan Nandlal, the city’s senior manager for the water network, said Hazelmere Water Works has reduced production from 45 megalitres per day to just 30 megalitres to meet the first phase of 30 per cent reduction.
The city has also found that many consumers have reverted to their bad habits of wasting water. The municipality urges consumers to continue with their water-saving techniques as rainfall is still well below average.
“The overall demand in uThongathi has increased recently but the available flow in the uThongathi River has reduced significantly. Further restriction may need to be imposed in the area over the coming weeks if the situation does not improve,” said Nandlal, adding that most of the drought-affected areas have continuous water supply.
However, in areas where water-saving is not being achieved or if the reservoirs are very low, then the municipality shuts the water according to the planned timetables. Water will be turned off to allow repairs to be carried out. Repairs and leaks are being prioritised in all drought affected areas.
Consumers may experience water interruptions outside of the planned timetable because of this, said Nandlal.
Areas supplied from the Waterloo Reservoir are currently experiencing intermittent supply, but not every day. “We are sympathetic to the consumers’ needs and we are trying our best to minimise the effect of the drought restrictions.
“As the system improves, and depending on the reservoir levels, we may suspend closures on certain days as we do sympathise with our consumers,” he said. The city has prioritised sending water tankers to all affected areas; however, the water tankers are in high demand. Areas with prolonged outages will be prioritised with the available resources.
Water tankers are frequently bogged down by residents at the entrance to affected areas and most often cannot make it through to the end as they are empty by then.
The city is also trying to curb water pipeline bursts and the conservation of water has always been a priority.
The municipality urges residents to continue reporting illegal water connections and water leaks to the number 080 131 3013. Residents can also use the number 083 707 3013 to SMS when reporting water leaks or e-mail eservices@durban.gov.za.
Water-saving tips:
Do not water the garden; avoid washing cars if possible or wash using bucket water instead of hose pipe; do not fill the swimming pools.
Do not leave the tap running when brushing your teeth or for any other activities; a two-minute shower is better that bathing in a bath tub.
Instead of washing clothes every day with a half load, wash every alternate day with a full load.
When washing vegetables, wash them in a dish instead of under running water.
Read your meter on a daily basis to ensure there are no internal leaks in your property.
If you are going away, close the main water valve.
When washing dishes, do not use running water, rather fill the basin with water.
Report leaks to the Water Department call centre, use water sparingly and wisely and do not waste water in any way.
