Parts of Newcastle have been without water for weeks

Residents of Osizweni and parts of Aviary Hill have had to endure a lack of water supply for weeks, sometimes even months on end, Newcastle Advertiser reports.

A resident in Osizweni relayed how this had hindered her and her families’ livelihood.

“It has been more than three weeks that our taps are dry,” she said.

The resident went on to explain how from the time she arrived at her home from work and prepared to cook a meal and bathe her son, the water supply was lacking or non-existent.

“At around 4am every morning, we would hear the water filling into the system. When we wake up it is shut off again,” she explained.

This had been an ongoing problem for some time now, said the frustrated resident.

In Aviary Hill, there have been numerous reports over the past few months, some on a daily basis, regarding burst water pipes, failing water infrastructure, delays in workmanship and the installation of new pressure release valves (PRVs).

Throughout the debacle, ward councillor Bebsie Cronje has been engaging with residents of Aviary Hill via a WhatsApp group regarding the progress of some of the burst pipes, as well as continuously inquiring which streets in Aviary Hill did not have water supply.

On the morning of September 30, a burst pipe was reported by a resident. By that afternoon, another pipe had burst nearby.

The next day, two more burst pipes were reported.

“It’s too much. We only have water for one day then the next day waterless,” said a resident on the group.

As the days progressed, more reports came in of further burst pipes in Vink, Mossie, Hornbill and Windswaeltjie Streets. Municipal workers however, were seen using a TLB (digger machine) to attend to the water leaks.

Head of communications at the Newcastle Municipality Dumisani Thabethe was contacted for a comment via a formal media inquiry.

At the time of going to print, no feedback was received from the municipality.

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