Long walk to dry taps in KwaFelekisi

EVEN though they have a water treatment plant right in the middle of their community, residents of KwaFelekisi have had persistent water shortages that have plagued them for the past four years.

In the recent stretch, some sections of the area have gone for the past four weeks without a single drop coming out of their taps.

The same problem has also been reported in Athlone Park, where residents have had an inconsistent water supply
going back for a number of years. On Tuesday, January 25, the water supply to the suburb was disrupted and residents were without water for almost three days.

On Monday, January 31, KwaFelekisi residents, who said they have had enough, took part in a protest outside the gate of Umngeni Water, demanding that water be turned back on.

ALSO READ: Motorbike accident in Toti CBD

One protester, Anthony Mdluli, said the community had been patient long enough and things need to change.

“For the past four years, the water has been off more times than it is on. The water tanker that is supposed to supply emergency water will drive past even at 23:00. Who is awake at that time and standing in the streets waiting for water? People have resorted to fetching water from the Amanzimtoti River even though it is not clean, but they have no other option,” said Mdluli.

The community has been split on the issue of water tankers as some feel a permanent solution should be implemented instead of wasting taxpayers money on water tankers that apparently off er little relief. What made residents more angry was that after the Monday protest, water was restored within three hours in
some sections.

The KwaFelekisi Umngeni Water treatment plant has a capacity of 26 million litres of water and it is a bulk supplier to eThekwini Municipality, which in turn distributes it between Amanzimtoti and Scottburgh. The plant does not turn away residents who walk in with buckets and containers asking to have some clean water.

One resident, Bholo Mbonambi, said he has to walk a 800m round trip from his house to get water from the plant
with two 20 litre buckets.

“It has been very diffi cult, but life has to continue and clean water is needed for us to wash and cook,” he said.

A meeting between the community and Mohamed Docrat, a superintendent at the plant, was held on Tuesday,
February 1, where Docrat made it clear that Umngeni Water is not responsible for water distribution.

“I forwarded the community’s concerns to eThekwini and it was suggested that the community should raise its concerns through their councillor. I can’t give feedback on the water reticulation system as that falls outside of what we do at Umngeni Water. I can say that we produce good quality water, but we do not control the distribution,” said Docrat.

He added that Umngeni Water was willing to offer eThekwini the assistance it needs to solve the problem. eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said water issues in both areas are being attended to and a long-term solution was in place.

“With regard to ensuring this no longer occurs, a new tower was constructed and commissioned last year. Standby generators are currently being procured for both Marine Drive and Athlone Park pump stations. This will ensure that pumps still run even during power outages,” said Khuzwayo.

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

The South Coast Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  – why not join us there?

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 on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.

(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)