THE region’s water crisis is now chronic, affecting all who rely on the Mfolozi River. The holiday town of St Lucia, as well as surrounding areas, has been particularly hard hit, with residents resorting to bathing in swimming pools and boiling pool water to wash dishes.
Mtubatuba’s pump station serves KwaMsane, Mtubatuba, Nordale, Ezwelisha, Dukuduku, Khula Village, St Lucia and Cape Vidal. Its three pumps work continuously when the river is full, supplying 20 million litres of water daily. When water levels become critically low, pumps are shut down one by one until there is no water to pump. This happened two weeks ago.
Within 24 hours, St Lucia Ratepayers Association (RPA) Chairman, Rudi Redinger, two residents and a UCOSP excavator, built a dam in the dry river bed below the pump station. The small team then excavated a trench in the river bed, heading upstream. This emergency measure eventually stretched three kilometres upstream and provided residents with uninterrupted water for a week.
While excavation will continue, other emergency measures are being considered. Water quality of two dams adjacent to the river is being tested and will be pumped if deemed safe.
Furthermore, a contractor has been conducting feasibility studies of four boreholes further upstream.
Redinger said, ‘If the boreholes are in a good enough condition, each will come into production as soon as the contractor has made it ready.’
He hoped this would be within the week, if not sooner. Installed in 1993 and successfully used to supplement river flow, the boreholes were badly vandalised in recent years, hence feasibility studies.
Ongoing issue
In 2002 an uMkhanyakude District-commissioned investigation into the upgrade of the Mtubatuba water scheme provided solutions to water shortages. However, nothing appears to have been implemented. The report attributed chronic water shortages to an ever-increasing demand on the system. Rapid expansion of areas including KwaMsane and Dukuduku was reported as contributing to Mtubatuba’s annual increase in water consumption of 8% between 1975 and 2002. This uniquely high increase in demand, the report advised, warranted completion of the waterworks’ extension by early 2005 at the latest.
A silver lining
On Friday, uMkhanyakude District Mayor, Jeff Vilane, announced a long-term strategy designed to prevent water shortages in the future. Vilane has received ministerial approval from all appropriate ministers that Mhlatuze Water will take control of Mtubatuba’s water supply. Delighted at the prospect, Redinger cautioned, ‘The urgency of the situation must be communicated to all departments involved.’
