Continue using water sparingly says councillor
The suspension bridge that collapsed after thieves stole copper cabling last week is to be demolished soon.
DESPITE the City giving north Durban residents the assurance they can use water normally, uMhlanga ward councillor Heinz De Boer today said he was cautious. Municipal officials said that residents in uMhlanga, Durban North, KwaMashu, and Phoenix could revert back to their normal water usage, following last week’s water shortage scare.
A water pipe suspension bridge in Reservoir Hills collapsed on Monday, 9 June, after thieves cut nine cables responsible for the support of the bridge. The pipe is one of two water pipes responsible for supplying water to areas north of the uMgeni River. The collapsed bridge was responsible for supplying 40 per cent of the northern area’s water.
Bhavna Soni, eThekwini Water operations manager, reported that repairs were underway, but that contractors needed to demolish the collapsed suspension bridge. She estimated that this would take a week.
But de Boer, said local councillors had not received an updated report regarding the issue. He urged residents to continue using water sparingly.
“Regardless of the issue with the collapsed bridge water is a scarce resource. The less we use and the more we conserve the better for everyone,” said De Boer.
He estimated that the repairs would be completed and the water supply stabalised by the end of the week. De Boer also reported that officials would be conducting an audit of the electricity and water facilities to determine how security measures can be improved.
“We need to safeguard the facilities against acts of theft, sabotage and vandalism to prevent similar disasters in the future,” he said.
According to De Boer the Bluff experienced a similar situation several years ago when thieves stole bolts off of power-lines, causing them to collapse.
“Residents were left without power and it caused thousands of rands of damage, but the bolts were only valued at R200,” he said.
