Water woes continue on the North Coast

Residents from some parts on the North Coast have had nothing but discolored, “funny tasting” water from their taps.

Adheer Surjoodeen from San Souci in KwaDukuza said the “dirty water” was a continuous problem and that he worried for his health.

“There are days when the water is slightly transparent but most of the time the water looks as though it was mixed with mud. Sometimes there is even a bad smell to it.”

Two other residents, one from Dawnside, New Guelderland and another from Darnall, took to Facebook saying they had to resort to buying water because the water quality was so bad.

“The water is absolutely dirty and it cannot be safe to drink.”

Ilembe municipal spokesperson Khululiwe Makhaye said the two areas, KwaDukuza and Darnall, are experiencing two different problems.

“The Dawnside and New Guelderland areas receive water from the Umvoti works. It would appear that the problem there is more localized, perhaps a leaking pipe or pipe repair, to the affected residents.”

The discoloured water in Darnall, she said, was caused by high levels of manganese from the Nonoti River, which is the water source.

“It is difficult to remove this element from the water but Ilembe is flushing the residential pipelines weekly to remove the excess manganese in the pipes.”

Makhaye said the water was perfectly safe to drink.

“We disinfect the water and treat it through various processes at the water works. The manganese settles in the pipes and usually when the levels in the reservoir are low, the discolored water ends up in the residents’ homes by being flushed/mixed with clean water from the bottom of the pipes.

“This is why we embark on a weekly programme to flush/scour the pipes to remove the excess manganese. This is not a foolproof method but will reduce the risk of discoloured water.”

The problem became more visible when reservoir levels were low, she said, but this problem is expected to go away once the Lower Tugela water system is operational and supply is no longer from the Nonoti River.

Although Makhaye said that lab results show that Ilembe water is safe for consumption, Ballito’s Dr Dinesh Patel told the North Coast Courier that high manganese consumption could bring on serious complications.

“Headaches, tremors and hallucinations are just a few of the symptoms people could experience. In the long-term, the mineral couldpossibly affect ones reproductive health.”

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