24-hour water shutdown: Taps to run dry in these eThekwini areas on Wednesday night

Several areas in eThekwini will experience water supply interruptions during the metro’s planned 24-hour water shutdown from midnight to complete repair work at the Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant.

The repair of the treatment plant’s Aquaduct-2 will be carried out by uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW). The aquaduct was washed away by the devastating floods which wreaked havoc in KwaZulu-Natal in April 2022.

ALSO READ: Mchunu: KZN water problems needs private sector intervention, govt will take years to deliver

eThekwini water shutdown: Everything to know

The shutdown will commence at midnight on Wednesday, 11 October, and will be undertaken for an estimated period of 24 hours until midnight on Thursday, 12 October.

“During this time, we expect parts in the northwest and south of eThekwini Metro to experience supply interruptions, as well as some disruption in water pressure,” UUW communications manager Siyabonga Maphumulo told the media.

“The planned maintenance shutdown requires the isolation of the aqueduct to allow for inspection. Depending on the outcomes thereof, a carbon fibre repair kit will be installed on those identified sections of the aqueduct,” he explained. 

Advertisement

ALSO READ: eThekwini is operating ‘under a cloud of secrecy’

‘Gunning to get the job done before 24 hours’

Maphumulo hopes that the repair work will be completed in a shorter time span.

“The estimated time given to complete the job is 24 hours, but during the course of inspection, the team could find that the work may exceed 24 hours. However, at this point, we do not anticipate that to be the case.

“If anything, we are gunning to get the job done before 24 hours or 24 hours on the dot, because we do realise the inconvenience it will cause. Remember, this is planned maintenance, not a spur of the moment thing. So, in essence, this is what the engineers have said,” Maphumulo said.

ALSO READ: SA’s drinking water quality has dropped due to defective infrastructure, neglect

What areas will be affected?

In the north:

• Durban North,
• uMhlanga,
• Phoenix,
• Verulam,
• Redcliffe,
• Inanda,
• Ntuzuma and
• KwaMashu.

In the south:

• uMlazi,
• Chatsworth,
• Folweni,
• Savannah Park,
• Klaarwater,
• Shallcross,
• Welbedacht West, and
• Demat.

In the west:

• Chesterville,
• Queensburgh,
• Westville,
• Pinetown,
• KwaSanti,
• Richmond Farm,
• St Wendolins,
• Luganda,
• Mawelewele, as well as
• Parts of Nagina and Washington Heights.

ALSO READ: R295m Rooiwal tender: Edwin Sodi and Tshwane metro to face SIU scrutiny

Salga to throw spotlight on eThekwini water supply, infrastructure

Water supply and infrastructure challenges affecting service delivery in eThekwini will be one of the complex issues up for discussion at the South African Local Government Association’s (Salga) national executive meeting hosted from Wednesday to Friday in Durban this week.

This after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) recently conducted an inquiry into eThekwini’s crippling water woes. In its report, which was released last month, it cited among its findings that the metro violated the rights of residents by denying them access to clean drinking water.

NOW READ: Pivotal reports reveal KZN’s water quality is subpar: DWS commits to address this