Frustration builds as flood damaged Stockville still runs dry
Businesses and residents in the area continue to struggle as they have no access to running water due to severe damage to infrastructure.
AFTER the devastating floods hit KwaZulu-Natal last month, the Stockville area is still suffering the repercussions as they have been without water for more than a month.
The manager of Pacrite, Anwar Hayath, said, “The industrial area has been without water since April 11, and it is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to continue working as normal.”
Businesses are forced to purchase or collect water from boreholes on a daily basis. Hayath added that water tankers have never been deployed to the affected area.
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“We have to continuously purchase drinking water, causing some staff members to bring their own water from their homes. We have gone to the extent of collecting and storing water in large containers in order for work to progress as normal.”
According to Hayath, not having running water can lead to various issues such as disease and other infections, and some staff members fell victim to these illnesses. “No running water is a sanitation issue. Stockville is a place of work. We have managed for a month now, but our staff are becoming uneasy as there is no proper sanitation without running water.”
According to Princess Fezeka, an employee at Pacrite, this water cut is causing harm to her physical health, and she has fallen ill due to a lack of sanitation.
“We can’t get enough to drink or to wash our hands. Lack of sanitation has led me to fall ill. I have undergone an operation, and carrying heavy buckets of water causes excruciating discomfort. The toilets smell awful, and we cannot continue to work and live like this. Please can someone help us as soon as possible.”
The eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said that the City is trying everything in its power to meet the needs of all its residents, irrespective of where they reside.
“The City sympathizes with all residents/businesses that were on the receiving end of these floods, and we fully understand their frustration. Because of the magnitude of the floods, the City is stretched to its limits, and we still have families looking for their loved ones. Every complaint from residents is treated as a priority and will be treated as such. We are therefore appealing to all our residents to be patient and bear with us during this difficult time. This matter has been escalated to the relevant Departments,” Mayisela concluded.
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