The eThekwini Municipality said it has budgeted R1 billion in the 2023/2024 finance year to address the short term issues affecting the supply of potable water in the region.
This follows the release of the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) report into the state of water in KwaZulu-Natal, who found that the municipality was in violation of the rights of residents in the metro by not supplying clean drinking water.
The water crisis in eThekwini has reached a boiling point over the past nine days or so, as northern parts of the region were left without water because of a problem in the northern aqueduct, according to the City.
Now unable to meet the rising demand and maintain its water network, the eThekwini Municipality said it will focus on fixing the short and medium term problems.
“To ensure supply of potable water to the communities we serve, the Municipality has budgeted R1 billion for water services for the 2023/2024 financial year.
“This budget will be spent on the Southern Aqueduct project and the replacement of the water pipe system. Over the Medium-Term Revenue Expenditure Framework, R2.1 billion will be spent on the replacement of water pipes and other water loss interventions,” the municipality said.
There was no mention, however, of updating its old-fashioned system which relied on physically finding faults in the network when there is a drop is flow or volume.
The Commission investigated the water situation in KZN after receiving more than 600 complaints from people around the province.
“Most complaints pertaining to water interruptions reflect interruptions for extended periods of time, with poor response from municipalities, and offices allegedly being closed as early as 10.30am.
“The impact of resulting water shortages is felt acutely by local schools, hospitals, old age homes, crèches and businesses, and emerging health crises are seen, exacerbated by the presence of sewage,” the report said.
The one billion Rand pledged by the government will not, however, bring an end to the poor billing practices adopted by the City, which uses estimates instead of tracking the actual volume of water residents use.
An updated billing system was pitched to the municipality over three years ago by a Pinetown based company, Chopper Tech, which focuses on technology-based solutions for the water industry.
IOL spoke to Chopper Tech CEO Vani Naicker last week about the systems they offered the government to fix its water woes, which were met with deaf ears, according to Naicker.
“It was over three years ago, we approached eThekwini with Chopper Tech’s real time monitoring system. We designed and manufactured the data log and the daily transmission network.
“If they installed the auditing system we proposed, they would have had a daily water balance. They would have known exactly how much water they have at all times, know exactly how much water leaves a reservoir and know exactly where the leaks are,” Naicker said.
“The daily balance of water meters will tell you exactly how much water was received by clients and how much was lost on the distribution network. The system itself has an alarm, so if there is water loss, it will set off the alarm.”
Now entering its second week, the water crisis in northern eThekwini is still leaving residents unable to perform basic living activities, while both the government and public have acknowledged that sabotage may have been the cause.
According to the City, reservoir levels in uMhlanga and Durban North are improving, but the pressure is still nowhere it needs to be.
“During the inspection of the 27 km pipeline, technical teams discovered that an air valve was tampered with and another valve vandalised. These valves have since been repaired by the Municipality and a case of sabotage was opened at the Greenwood Park police station.
“The affected reservoirs are expected to take at least two days to return to normal levels,” the City said on Tuesday.
IOL