A NEW proposal by the eThekwini Municipality could see home-owners being fined for not saving water. As the drought worsens in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, news has filtered through that areas south of the stricken areas are now facing the challenge of saving 15 per cent of their water bills.
If approved, the proposal will see those who fail to do so facing a fine as high as R500, while businesses will face a R10 000 fine. That’s the word from uMhlanga councillor, Heinz de Boer.
Last week, De Boer expressed his concerns about how the new proposal would play out as the system still needed to be ‘fine-tuned’.
“The city is asking areas which are fed by the uMgeni system, that includes greater Durban, Sunningdale, uMhlanga all the way south to Amazimtoti, to save 15 per cent of their water bills or face stiff fines. The system is under pressure and the city has decided to look at fining water-wasters before it looks at water rationing.
“Calculations will also be based on monthly water meter readings. My recommendation to residents is to look at investing in JoJo tanks to harvest rainwater, drill boreholes and look at other ways to invest water saving,” he said.
While he agreed that water saving was imperative, De Boer expressed his unhappiness at the city’s ineffectual attempts to save water.
“My concern with this proposal is that it’s hypocritical of the city to expect resident’s to save water when they themselves are losing 40 per cent of water through theft and burst pipes. They should be giving themselves a fine. A pipe at the Malacca Road Informal Settlement had been leaking for three weeks and was only fixed recently.
“Another problem is the issue of how the city will police the 15 per cent water saving proposal and who will police the policy. There’s not enough meat on the proposal and I feel the city has a lot to clear up before the proposal is passed,” he said.
