The only way we are going to have enough water for the festive season is if we get a lot of rain between now and then.
“We have done our part, there is nothing more we can do except pray for good rain,” said Umgeni Water CEO Cyril Gamede, speaking at the presentation of the Umgeni Water annual report last Wednesday, October 22 at the Hilton Hotel in Durban.
The Hazelmere dam currently sits on 45.7 percent and the daily average production (amount of water released from the dam) has been restricted to 43Ml per day from the normal production of 54Ml per day.
“If water is used sparingly, the dam storage will be prolonged to beyond February 2015,” said Umgeni Water’s Shami Harichunder.
Gamede partly blames the national water affairs department for iLembe’s current water crisis.
“Umgeni Water has built the new plant and pipeline and we are waiting for them to raise the dam wall so that they can release more water into the dam,” said Gamede.
He said if the wall had been raised sooner, enough water would have been released into Hazelmere to see us through the drought and looming festive season.
Gamede said the department withdrew initial tenders for the raising of the Hazelmere dam wall because they said they could not afford the project.
