ABOUT a month on, eThekwini Municipality said it is working around the clock to resolve the water supply challenges brought forth by a disruption to the supply from the Woodlands 3 and 4 reservoirs to the South Coast Augmentation (SCA) system and the Amanzimtoti Water Works.
Also read: eThekwini south residents brace for extended water outage
Since March, several reservoirs in Amanzimtoti have run very low because of the demand far outstripping supply.
Water shortages have hit most places south of Durban, including some parts of the Ugu District which the Amanzimtoti Water Works also supply. In a statement, eThekwini said its technical teams are working to identify the cause of the bulk water supply interruption to undertake the necessary repairs.
On April 8, Ward 97 councillor André Beetge said there were supply challenges to high areas in Amanzimtoti that are fed by the Lewis Drive, Doonside (School Road) and Launcheston reservoirs.
“While awaiting the official statement from the municipality, we stand informed that levels at Woodlands 3 and 4 reservoirs have recovered to the point where both pumps on the SCA supply line to the south, from Umlazi to Pennington, are now commissioned and supplying at full capacity. This should result in enhanced supply into the Amanzimtoti Water Works and, in turn, enable gravity-fed supply to recover faster. The department was unable to make time-specific commitments on when water will reach every household, as it’s a vast network which extends well beyond the Amanzimtoti area that is affected,” said Beetge.
Meanwhile, the Department of Water and Sanitation minister, Senzo Mchunu, attended a sod-turning ceremony for the uMkhomazi Bulk Water Supply project on April 6. The project is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2029, and it involves the construction of a new dam. The associated infrastructure will also include a 32km raw water conveyance tunnel and a 5km pipeline to the uMlazi River.
Mchunu said that currently, the Umgeni Water Supply System, which supplies all of 5 million eThekwini residents as well as industry, has experienced a deficit from as far back as 2016.
“Therefore, the augmentation of the uMngeni Water Supply System from the uMkhomazi Water Catchment is critical and is expected to increase from 394 million cubic metres a year to 608 million cubic metres a year,” said Mchunu.
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