Durban - RESIDENTS of Tongaat were forced to bottle their hopes that water on tap would soon become a reality, ahead of Premier Sihle Zikalala’s visit to the area, on Saturday.
Tongaat’s regular supply of water was halted nearly a month after April’s heavy rains wrecked infrastructure at the area’s main sources.
Since the outage, residents have relied solely on the eThekwini Municipality’s water tankers, but they complained the service was erratic and some people had to walk long distances, including the sick and elderly, for the supply of water.
Zikalala was expected to deliver a good news message, instead he announced that it could take a further 30 days before the service could be restored.
That did not go down well with residents who gathered at the local Belvedere Community Hall and were addressed by Zikalala and Philani Mavundla, the ethekwini Municipality’s deputy mayor.
One angry resident had to be removed from the venue when he directed his displeasure at Zikalala and Mavundla.
“You have made many promises to the people before. What is going to change right now? What can honestly take so long to be able to fix all of this?” said the resident.”
Zama Madiya, 40, who lives in the Magwaveni township said: “Our biggest issue was that the water tankers did not arrive every day and you never know when it would return.
Madiya said many residents missed out on the tankers because they were at work.
“How must they get water, must they stay away from work?” asked Madiya.
Selvie Naidoo, 68, who lives in Mitchell Village said being without running water for more than three weeks was “exhausting”.
“If you miss the tanker, you must expect to be without water for days. What do you think is happening to our toilets?
“We’re hoping for the best,” said Naidoo.
Pensioner Joythi Naicker, 68, said that life has been very difficult recently.
“I am a diabetic and I have a heart condition. It is necessary for me to have a constant supply of clean drinkable water.”
Naicker said their water situation needed urgent attention.
Zikalala acknowledged the residents’ challenges and said not only did Tongaat’s main water reservoir sustain extensive damages, but the area’s smaller reservoirs were also damaged.
He invited civil society to play a role in assisting with repairs, through the nomination of engineers, who could work alongside those of the provincial government, to assess the extent of the damage and to find solutions.
“Since you have said you had your own engineers, I would like to request that we get two of them who can be part of the team that will work with us to find the solution,” Zikalala told the gathering at the community hall.
But Steve Naidoo, a member of the Tongaat Ratepayers Association said he was at odds with what Zikalala said.
“If our local engineers are telling us that this matter can be resolved within 24 hours, water in the taps – are you telling me city’s engineers don’t know this? People are using this opportunistically to advance their own agendas.”
Naidoo suggested it was very possible to within 24 to 48 hours redirect water through Mamba Ridge, to achieve sufficient supply.
“I can’t understand why all the drama around this and the delay. Engineering and plumbing are not rocket science. Water tankers seem to be what we have to contend with for now, until their engineers tell us why they can’t do what our people are telling us, that it’s possible to get water in the taps within 24 hours,” Naidoo said.
Mavundla said in the interim, water tankers were dispatched to supply residents, while additional solutions were being looked at.
They include a rebuild of the plant, revival of the Umvoti Works and the installation of a portable water-plant that will be used to treat the water, this is estimated to take at least six months.
However, he said the immediate solution would be a scheduled supply.
“My solution was that instead of trucks supplying water, I have decided that we would recharge our reservoirs directly. Once we fill the reservoirs, the water would then be released into taps for the community members,” said Mavundla.
He assured residents that the City was working tirelessly to ensure water was restored as soon as possible.
While Tongaat residents have been hit by water outages recently, residents of the Ugu District Municipality remain outraged and frustrated and claim they do without supply for up to three months in some instances.
The region’s water challenges have existed for several years and poor infrastructure management has been a major concern.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE