Water reservoirs dangerously low
Mtubatuba residents are urged to use water sparingly.
ACCORDING to uMkhanyakude District Municipality, dry weather conditions, causing the Mfolozi River to dry up, have affected the supply to both Mtubatuba and Nkolokotho water treatment plants. The result is ‘interrupted supply of water from time to time’.
A statement from the district municipality responsible for providing water to the Mtubatuba area reveals the storage capacity at the KwaBobhoza reservoir. Reservoirs one to four are currently sitting at 15%, 13%, 0% and 18% respectively.
uMkhanyakude District Municipality Spokesperson, Mduduzi Dlamini, stated that the municipality has intervention plans in place and water tankers’ rotation to supply affected areas will be increased.
Furthermore, uMkhanyakude District Mayor, Jeff Vilane, has written to COGTA MEC, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, requesting a state of emergency be declared in the district whose residents have been without water for two weeks.
Vilane also requested Dube-Ncube urgently conduct a drought relief programme to assist the affected communities.
The district municipality has stated that several large water supply schemes are operational and others are in the process of being designed, constructed and upgraded.
Dlamini said, ‘uMkhanyakude is in [the] process of a long-term intervention in which there will be an agreement between uMkhanyakude and uThungulu District Municipalities to connect a bulk water pipeline from the Nsezi River to cover Mtubatuba.’
In the meantime, all residents are urged to use water sparingly.
