Three weeks on, and Harding still struggles without water
Residents of Harding have had no water for the past three weeks.
The water situation on the South Coast appears to have stabilised – for now – but those living in Harding are not as fortunate.
Phone calls fielded by the Herald this week indicated that some parts of the CBD and several residential areas had been without the precious resource for as long as three weeks.
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Desperate townsfolk have now resorted to collecting water from streams and rivers.
The warning signs were clear – as recently as May, the Herald reported that there was very little water left in the Harding dam, the main source of water for the town.
In reply to that report, Ugu District Municipality spokesman, France Zama said the municipality had long term plans in place.
He pointed out that water was currently being supplied to Harding through the Weza plant, which is stretched beyond its capacity.
“Teams on the ground are working to direct water to Harding town. Areas that are receiving water are urged to reduce consumption as much as possible to aid the recovery process,” he said.
Ugu had provided static tanks and roving tankers as interim relief measures, he added.
He also urged the community to be patient while work was being carried out to ensure the systems returned to normal as soon as possible.
Fifteen years ago, Harding farmer, Bertie Strydom addressed the water issue with Ugu District Municipality at a town meeting, suggesting that Ugu extend the existing Harding dam, or build a new one.
“In May we again raised this issue via the Herald but Ugu doesn’t seem to take it seriously. Ugu has failed us once again and Harding residents have to bear the brunt.”
One businessman said this was poor management by Ugu, as the municipality was well aware that there was a problem.
“We in Harding are suffering. Being without water for days is very difficult.”
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