KZN residents urged to use water sparingly

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has assured KZN residents that the water situation in the province is ‘fairly stable’.

Last week, eThekwini Municipality and Umgeni Water released a joint statement advising of water supply interruptions in the Durban area owing to a shaft pump failure at the Durban Heights Waterworks, which will take up to five weeks to fix.

Mchunu said the province’s dam levels are experiencing a slight decline, however, remain above average.

The Umgeni Water Supply System dropped from 72.3% last week to 71.8% this week while the province’s overall levels remained stable at 65.5% this week.

This is according to a weekly report on the status of reservoirs issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

The department’s spokesperson Sputnik Ratau says the slight decrease in reservoirs is not a cause for concern.

‘As the summer season comes into full swing it is expected for water to increase as well. We ask residents to be mindful of their neighbours and use water cautiously,’ Ratau said.

‘Most of our dams are above 50%.

In the Zululand region, Klipfontein and Ponglapoort dams stand at 60.4%, and 55.4% respectively.’

Ratau reminded water users that South Africa is a water-scarce country, and cautious water use must be exercised at all times.

‘We need to inculcate the culture of saving at all times to ensure water security for years to come. Additionally, we need to fix leaking taps in our households because every drop of water lost counts,’ Ratau concluded.