Residents angered at La Lucia water pipe fiasco
A pipe that continues to leak on Ronan Road, has angered residents who feel the city is wasting thousands of liters of water.
A LA Lucia couple say they are at their wits’ end after a pipe outside their home on Ronan Road had burst for the eight time this year. One of the residents, who did not want to be named, said that despite several attempts by the municipality to fix the troublesome pipe, the problem persisted with the pipes bursting twice a month in some instances.
Their message carried added weight as KwaZulu-Natal is gripped by a severe drought which has seen reservoirs that feed the northern areas of the city, sitting at 26.2 per cent. The road now has a series of sandy patches after multiple pipe bursts.
“It’s a complete nightmare especially when one considers all the water being wasted. We are constantly being reminded to save water but this pipe keeps bursting and there seems to be a temporary fix each time. It has been a problem for at least 20 years, however in the last two years it has been particularly bad. In one of the worst bursts, water ran for six consecutive days and the constant flow of water has also created potholes which the municipality have filled with sand.
“The pipe last burst on Sunday and while it was fixed, I’m sure it will burst again,” said the 82-year-old resident. “I’m confident that this problem will be fixed this time. There needs to be some accountability and I believe there are unqualified people attempting to fix this problem. This is a waste of ratepayers’ money.”
Is the city really serious about water loss?
According to uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, there are several weak spots in several pipes, mostly in residential areas around Durban North and uMhlanga, where there are constant faults.
“Unfortunately, the water department hasn’t budgeted enough to spend on replacing problematic pipes in the area. The city, which has a bigger role to play in the water shortage crisis, is simply not coming to the party. You cannot encourage residents to conserve water and not attend or fix issues like this. I will keep pestering the municipality to look at this stretch of road in order to find a solution,” he said.
De Boer said he is in the process of motivating for pipes in other ‘troublesome’ roads to be similarly replaced.
