Extended water outage plagues Isipingo
The municipality said the damage to the pipe is caused by people who illegally build informal settlements on top of the pipeline.
WARD 90 councillor Shad Nowbuth has written to eThekwini Municipality’s head of Water and Sanitation after a ruptured pipe deprived some areas of Isipingo of water for an extended period.
In the letter Nowbuth sent to Ednick Msweli, he said that the major arterial pipe off Lotus Drive, which supplies water to the Pelican Drive Reservoir, should be prioritised for relocation from its present site. Over the past two years, the 300mm diameter main pipe has burst six times, with the last burst occurring on August 20, resulting in a large quantity of water flooding the nearby Malukazi Informal Settlement. A week before that, another burst had occurred. The other areas that have been left without water include Ezimbokodweni and Orient Hills.
Also read: City blames load-shedding for water shortages
“The repair teams also face serious challenges in accessing the steep and difficult incline to reach the repair site, causing delays in completing the repairs timeously. Such inconveniences could be avoided if the water line is relocated from its present site,” said Nowbuth.
While plumbers have been busy fixing the back-to-back pipe bursts, the community of Lotus Park has relied on water tankers, as well as other Good Samaritans for clean water.
In response, eThekwini’s spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, said the damage is caused by the informal settlement residents building on the pipeline.
“Residents are urged to note that the terrain and location of the pipe means it is not easily accessible. This is due to informal settlements invading vacant land and building on the water servitude where the line is located. This poses a challenge to the City’s team to access the line. Currently, the team from the Water Department has abandoned the site due to threats from the community of Malukazi whose dwellings were flooded when the burst occurred,” said Sisilana.
She added that it not only hampers the City’s ability to undertake maintenance on its underground infrastructure but also poses a danger to human life. Residents are urged to look out for marker poles and to get building plans approved by the municipality before building. As an interim measure, Sisilana said the Water and Sanitation unit is trying to supply water through another reservoir zone to affected areas.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 694 6047.
Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom at 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
