Durban - Residents within the eThekwini Municipality have been given a glimmer of hope after the municipality provided an update on public services and service delivery, among other things, that had been affected during recent heavy rains and floods in the metro.
In a statement, municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipality was working around the clock to restore services following the devastating floods this week.
“While some services remain disrupted, the city has made some headway in restoring electricity to many areas. Roads are being cleared of mud and debris and clean-up operations are under way,” Mayisela said.
“The city calls on the public to be patient as there will be delays in restoring services due to the extensive damage to infrastructure. Many areas are still inaccessible for repairs to be done.
“In addition, staff have also suffered personal tragedies in the disaster or are unable to reach their workplaces because of road conditions.”
This video shows some damages caused by heavy rainsfalls followed by a rock fall, that destroyed 2 of 4 Aqueducts at Molweni (KwaNgcolosi) that supplies Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant with raw water from Nagle Dam. pic.twitter.com/w1XUPiVxlO
— Umgeni Water (@UmgeniWater) April 13, 2022
Mayisela said several areas including the city centre were without water and the city is calling on residents to conserve water if they still have a supply.
“Umgeni Water has notified the city that two of the mainline feeder aqueducts are broken and therefore they are not supplying water to the Durban Heights reservoir. This will impact the supply of water to many areas in eThekwini.
“The city has dispatched tankers to supply water to residents in the interim. Technicians are working as fast as they can to restore services.”
Those with still experiencing outages and faults are urged to report them through the city’s call centres. Faults can also be reported using the eThekwini App.
Details for the water call centre are as follows:
- Toll-free: 0801 313013 or 0800 311111
- WhatsApp – 073 148 3477
- Email: [email protected]
With regads to electricity, Mayisela said: “Technicians are working in three shifts to ensure that power is restored as soon as possible. Power has been restored to most parts of the city and only three substations remain off because of extensive damage. In addition, more contractors have been brought on board to support the repair effort.”
Electricity call centres were also experiencing high call volumes but the public is urged to use the alternative contact details to report any outages.
Electricity contact details:
- Toll-free: 0801 313 111 or 08003111111
- WhatsApp: 076 791 2449
- Email: [email protected]
“The city is pleased that Eskom has also exempted eThekwini Municipality from load shedding,” Mayisela said.
He said emergency and disaster management services can be reached on 031 361 0000.
Mayisela added that refuse removal and some bus services resumed on Wednesday.
“The city would like to advise residents that refuse collection has resumed and they may put out their refuse on the morning of the scheduled collection.”
However, garden refuse sites were not operational and cannot accept any waste.
“Some public bus services have resumed although Durban Transport is currently not operating in Umlazi and Rossburgh. Many routes remain inaccessible, and this hampers the full resumption of services. The People Mover service is uninterrupted.”
Mayisela said the Wyebank, Mpola, Kloof, Umzamo and Redcliffe clinics were closed on Wednesday due to the flood damage.
“Mobile clinics and other clinics are all operational, however, the public may experience delays in some facilities while mop-up operations are under way.”
He said most Sizakala centres were open, however, a few remained closed. These include Pinetown, Archie Gumede Thusong Centre, Maphephetheni, Warwick, Megacity, Illovu, KwaMakhutha and Mbumbulu.
The public will be notified once these centres are open.
— eThekwini Municipality (@eThekwiniM) April 12, 2022
Mayisela said various community halls have been opened to accommodate communities in need of shelter. The disaster management teams, in partnership with volunteer organisations, have distributed blankets and meals to those who are destitute.
“The public is urged to contact local councillors if assistance is required in this regard. The city thanks all volunteers who have rendered assistance during this time. It is only by working together that we will be able to overcome the difficulties faced.”
He said the municipality will continue to reassess the situation and advise the public of further developments.
“The city urges the community to be safe, and to drive carefully. Lower your speed and increase following distance as roads are still wet and slippery,” Mayisela said.
He also urged the public to refrain from generating or sharing fake news, adding that the official municipal social media pages and website remain credible sources of municipal information.
Daily News