uMhlanga faces ‘water shedding’, claims councillor
Shocked by residents’ failure to acknowledge the dire state of KZN’s water shortage, uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, said ‘water shedding’ could soon be implemented to curb water usage across the province.
AS the province’s water shortage continues to loom, uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, has warned that ‘water shedding’ could be a harsh reality in the near future.
The drought, caused by the unusually dry rainy season, is reportedly the worst experienced in KwaZulu-Natal since 1992. Experts have estimated that the province will only experience ‘proper’ rains in January, said De Boer.
Yesterday the department implemented its new mandatory water conservation measures. According to KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nomusa Dube-Ncube, various municipalities, including the eThekwini Municipality, will commence with radical water rationing programmes in an effort to manage the available water resources.
“We face a harrowing future if we do not take extraordinary measures to conserve the remaining water. In some areas we are left with only two months of water supply and we are just at the beginning of the dry winter season in most parts of our province,” said Dube-Ncube.
De Boer echoed her sentiments, saying some areas north of uMhlanga had already been subjected to water restrictions and shedding since December last year.
“People are not taking the lack of water in KZN seriously. I am disappointed by the fact that I often see people watering plants and their verges while driving in my ward. If people knew how low the dams are they would be shocked. ‘Water shedding’, similar to load shedding, is a harsh reality we face, and if we don’t drastically curb our water usage, even uMhlanga will run out of water,” he said.
To prevent unnecessary water wastage, residents have also been urged urged to report any leaks to the municipality as soon as possible via 080 131 3013.
