Ladysmith KZN: Water woes continue to affect Chisty Place residents

Residents of Chisty Place and Kandahar Avenue have been facing major water issues for months on end, and were again left without water over the Easter weekend and into the week.

Countless community members have aired their views to the Ladysmith Gazette and are frustrated about the issue, as uThukela District Municipality has failed to tell them what the issue is.

Furthermore, those affected have not been told when the water supply will be back. For months now, uThukela has given numerous reasons such as load-shedding, burst water pipes, problems with the pumps, or problems at the water treatment works.

People are now fed up and demanding proper answers.

Speaking to a frustrated resident of Chisty Place, she says that over the Easter weekend, they were left without water. “I am lucky that I have a JoJo tank in my yard, but some people are not so fortunate as to have access to water. I actually had to install a second tank and am now thinking of putting up a third one, as we don’t have water for days in a row.”

On Tuesday morning (April 6), it was reported that the pumps started working at 5am at Abattoir Hill, yet it was said that water would take time to reach the high-lying areas due to empty reticulation. By Tuesday afternoon, uThukela said that Abattoir Hill was almost full and they were in the process of returning back to normal… And for the next two days after Tuesday, they would be pumping with two booster pumps for 24 hours.

Constant pump failures have severely hit the area, leaving residents without water.

On Tuesday afternoon, uThukela spokesperson Jabulani Mkhonza said that water tankers, as a temporary measure, would be dispatched to the area until spares for the pumps come in. Then repairs to the pumps can be carried out.

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