DURBAN - CHATSWORTH residents say they are fed up with water shortages in the area.
Residents from Moorton and Crossmoor staged a protest on Friday. The eThekwini Municipality said that some areas in the Central and Inner West regions were experiencing water shortages due to inconsistent and inadequate water supply and pressure from Durban Heights Water Works.
A large group of residents gathered on Friday in High Terrace Road in Moorton to protest against the water shortage affecting the community.
One of the residents, who wished to remain anonymous, said that for the past three weeks they had been without electricity and water.
“We can’t get hold of our ward councillor in ward 17. We can’t go on
like this. We have had enough. Service delivery is pathetic in Crossmoor.”
Mohamed Bilal Khan, a community activist in Chatsworth, said that there was no communication from the
municipality with regard to the water situation in the area.
“The situation is bad, the water comes and just goes off, in certain areas water can be on for just an hour a day. ” Bonela is another area that has been affected by water disruptions.
Preggie Govender, chairperson of the Bonela Community Policing Forum and a representative of the Bonela Ratepayers’ Association, said the situation was desperate in Bonela and surrounding areas.
“The problem of water shortages has been going on for two or three weeks, however, the latest episode stems from inconsistent water supply from the Durban Heights Water Works and it has resulted in areas such as Bonela, Sherwood, Chesterville, Sydenham and the surrounding informal settlement having little to no water.
“It’s sad to see the desperation of the elderly and other residents queuing up with their buckets to fill water … We as the Bonela CPF and the Bonela Ratepayers’ Association have taken it upon ourselves to secure private tankers and with our volunteers deliver water to Bonela and the surrounding areas. Yesterday we distributed at least 20 000 litres of water.”
DA Exco member Nicole Graham said the city was facing a catastrophic water crisis that stemmed mostly from Umgeni Water being unable to supply the bulk water that the municipality required. She said reservoirs in large parts of the city were empty, or were draining quickly.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said that residents were advised of the interruption of water supply.
“The interruption is due to inconsistent and inadequate water supply and pressure from Durban Heights Water Works. The water works is unable to provide the contracted volumes of water due to failures of Aqueduct 1 and 2 caused by the heavy rains …”
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