North Durban councillors call for residents to save water
The water shedding plan is working effectively, say both ward councillors.
TECHINICAL issues, which left parts of ward 35 and ward 36 without water for up to five days, have finally come to an end as a temporary measure was found to alleviate the problem.
The cause of it was a failed pump shaft at the Durban Heights Water Works plant, however, the pump has been dismantled and sent to Johannesburg for repairs which will take five weeks.
As a result residents north of Durban experience water cuts or low water pressure from 20:00 to 04:00 daily, Umgeni Water said in a press release recently.
Nicole Bollman, councillor for Ward 35 said although the situation is under control, residents must still use water sparingly.
READ ALSO: City urges residents to use water sparingly
“There were several challenges that came our way during the water cut, but our local water services department responded swiftly,” she said.
“The pump is still being repaired so an unstable water supply will be a norm over the next few weeks, so please continue to use water sparingly. There must be no unnecessary usage during this time,” said Bollman.
She added that eThekwini Water Services executed a plan that ensured that water shortages are no minimal.
“During that first week, we were hit hard but the plan came into effect swiftly. Residents now have a water supply,” she said.
Ward 36 councillor, Shontel de Boer, said parts of Durban North, Park Hill and Umgeni Park were affected by the outage.
“It was not the entire area, but a few streets and houses in these areas that had no water for about three days,” she said.
She said the daily switch off of the water at night was “working well” as residents have water during the day.
The complaint she received was that when the water is switched back on in the mornings, there is an air lock and some residents think they still don’t have water.
“There is water, however, it takes a while for the air to escape from the pipes,” she said.
“Residents must be conscious of how they use water. Use it wisely and sparingly,” said de Boer.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
