DURBAN - The eThekwini Municipality says it is working hard to restore water and electricity supplies that have been disrupted by the installation of fibre infrastructure.
The installation of fibre infrastructure that is accompanied by the digging of the city streets has been a source of complaints for residents who have found themselves inconvenienced by either water or electricity outages or by the dug up pavements.
In a statement, the municipality said: “The City is aware that some electricity and water disruptions have been caused by fibre contractors during the data expansion rollout. Affected areas include Verulam, Everest Heights, oThongathi, Phoenix, Padfield, Manors, Morningside, Glenwood, Amanzimtoti and uMlazi.
“Chairperson of the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Thanduxolo Sabelo, said the City is working on speedily restoring electricity and water interruptions resulting from the excavation process,” it said.
Sabelo, said the statement, warned fibre installers and other service providers working in Municipal servitudes that they must be authorised to do so. Contractors must be approved prior to excavating. This includes having the necessary drawings on-site to identify the location of Municipal infrastructure.
The municipality also urged communities to protect Municipal infrastructure during fibre installations.
It told the public to ensure that electricity cables and water infrastructure are not vandalised or stolen during the fibre installation process.
The municipality said residents requiring information about fibre installations in their area could call the Roads and Stormwater Maintenance Department on 031 322 7241 on weekdays from 8am to 4pm.
It said, for burst water pipes or electricity cable faults, customers could call the City’s call centre on 080 311 1111.
THE MERCURY