Activist suggests lessons can be learned from Durban’s ongoing #WaterCrisis
While some are optimistic that the pump station will be operating again soon, a community activist has suggested all neighbourhoods could learn from the crisis which has seen much of Chatsworth without water for almost a week now.
ACTIVISTS and community leaders, liaising with those who are currently working on the fault at Northdene pump station, are cautiously optimistic the water supply will soon be restored in all affected areas.
This comes after three pumps failed last week resulting in water outages in most parts of Chatsworth.
ALSO READ: Water outage: Northdene pump failure leaves Chatsworth high and dry
As of Thursday morning, water was restored in some parts of Chatsworth.
Hopeful
Cyril Naidu, a community activist and organiser from People First Party Last (PFPL) said, on Wednesday afternoon, the new pump had arrived and was being installed.
He added that those working on the problem were hopeful they might be able to reconnect the water supply by Wednesday evening.
“Water can be utilised from the Umhlatuzana Civic Hall for those who wish to fill up their containers,” said Naidu, as the communities without water faced the prospect of their sixth day with dry taps.
The hall is at 141 Chatsworth Main Road.
Planning
Dawn Gounden, a community activist who has been working to facilitate help for the community, says the problem isn’t going to go away quickly and residents might face a few more days without water from their taps.
“Right now, people sharing info and helping each other, but once the water is restored, many will not take heed of what this crisis should have taught them,” said Gounden.
Gounden has many recommendations, she is giving community groups, to help them after this immediate crisis is over, but for now she and community workers from local government, civil society and even environmental and crime groups, and trying to ensure that people are able to get help until the service is restored.
“I want to advise all communities that they need strategic planning in their own homes. They need to use facilities like JoJo tanks and greywater systems so they do not have to rely on others and the municipality,” she said explaining that all communities should learn from what Chatsworth and other areas have suffered.
“Anything that is man made is eventually going to break. This pump will be fixed eventually, but it might well break again. As we have seen with loadshedding in many areas, when a service is interrupted, it sometimes fails again when everyone tries to get it up and running again. Whenever there is a new part added to an old system, the aging infrastructure is put in danger of failing.”
Al-Imdaad Foundation teams distribute 5 litre bottles of water to residents of Chatsworth Unit 7 in response to the ongoing water crisis in the area.#alimdaad #kwazulunatal #chatsworth #watercrisis #waterrelief #bottledwater #waterisahumanright #strivingtoservehumanity pic.twitter.com/keQofjMPT4
— Al-Imdaad Foundation (@Alimdaad) January 13, 2021
Neighbourhood tanks
“If you are staying in a road that has 10 homes on it, work with the people around you,” suggested Gounden.
“Particularly see if you can’t all come together to get JoJo tanks in the neighbourhood groups which can service all 10 homes around them in neighbourhood groups.”
“We really need to start coming up with creative and cooperative solutions to problems like these which could leave any community without water and sanitation in a crisis. Each person or family can also collect bottled water which, if left sealed, can last more than a year, and provide drinking water when it is needed in an emergency,” she advised.
ALSO READ: Motala Heights residents surrounded by raw sewage
Many organisations have also helped where they could, including faith-based, community empowerment, and non-profit and non-governmental organisations.
In an effort to hold the city responsible for the extended water outage, resident, Dheshni Pillay set up a petition on the Change.org platform.
In just four days, the petition garnered 2 367 digital signatures.
City makes suggestions
Spokesperson for eThekwini Municipality, Msawakhe Mayisela, on Tuesday evening said the city understands the frustration of the public and apologised to affected residents.
“As the country is seized with fighting the spread of Covid 19, the public is implored to maintain social distancing at all times when collecting water from water tankers,” said Mayisela.
“The city urges residents who are preventing trucks to be considerate and refrain from doing so as this unlawful conduct has a negative impact to other residents.
EThekwini is also looking into an option of putting static water tankers to all areas affected to ensure that residents have access to water as and when they need it.
For more information, contact the Call Centre on 080 131 3013 or EWS WhatsApp number 073 1483 477.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
