Bhekulwandle’s water supply problems could be the result of illegal connections.
The Seed of Hope (SOH) organisation, as well as many of the households in the area, have suffered ongoing water supply problems since early March. The non-profit organisation’s water woes were finally resolved after a leaking meter was reported to eThekwini Municipality on 31 March and repaired.
The organisation however, was told it is only a temporary solution and it needs to be connected to a high pressure line. “Residents in the area have told me illegal connections are to blame for our poor pressure in Bhekulwandle,” said SOH CEO, Carl Waldron. “They said the municipality knows it is happening, but nothing is being done about it. All the houses in the area used to have water.
We are a stone’s throw away from the reservoir, yet there is still no water in some of the households and the pressure is very erratic.
Years ago we installed an extra water tank on our property, so we often have water when surrounding households don’t,” said Carl.
“The municipality is aware of the water leaks due to roadworks,” said eThekwini Municipality spokesman, Thabo Mofokeng. “We are working with the contractors to fix the damaged pipes during the construction phase.
We are not aware of illegal connections causing poor pressure or water interruption problems. If there are illegal connections, then our disconnection section will get involved to remove them.”
