Heavy rains leave Umdloti residents thirsty

Relentless rain throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning (December 10 to 11) has undermined a water main leading from Waterloo reservoir to Umdloti, resulting in large amounts of mud and water washing away into the low-lying waste water pump station and surrounding properties.

The Umdloti waste water pump station was flooded with mud and water. According to UIP manager Terry Rens, the Department of Water and Sanitation has closed off the water supply to prevent the pipe from bursting and collapsing. They will start repairs once the rain has stopped as the site of the washaway is accessible only on foot.

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The eroding soil and water stems from the elevated construction sites above the Umdloti south beach, but the washaway is a result of expanding development, according to Rens.

“I have lived in Umdloti for over 50 years and while the development provides jobs and improved facilities, the occasional infrastructure problems are expected.”

Umdloti resident Anthony Downes added that the natural spring running through Umdloti was getting silted up with sand and that cleaning up the mess took far too much time.

“The river became silted with mud three months ago, which took almost a month and a half to get cleaned out, and now it’s the festive season too,” said Downes.

Rens confirmed that the Department of Water and Sanitation will fix and relocate the affected water line and will be sending water tankers through the affected region of Umdloti.

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