Water boy Theo comes to the rescue after Tongaat reservoir was destroyed in KZN floods
According to estimations, rebuilding the plant may take six months or more as all water infrastructure was washed away.
A call from a stressed wife to her husband, telling him they have no water in Tongaat, prompted water treatment company Ametis Projects’s management to send employee Theo Erasmus from Johanesburg to set up a small emergency water plant to help bring relief.
“My family lives in Tongaat and when my wife phoned and told me about the water crises, my managers decided to do something.
“Within hours we got the green light from deputy mayor Philani “PG” Mavundla to come down,” said Erasmus.
He said the plant was designed for a commercial project in Zimbabwe but was quickly modified for this specific application.
“The plant can produce 6 000 litres per hour. We arrived on Friday, April 15 and began delivering water on Monday, April 18.
“With the cooperation of Durban Metro and relevant parties we had power within hours. This was a joint effort between Ametis Projects that donated the plant, Water Components SA donated chemicals. Alberto Mattioda donated the filter sand, and the property the plant is operating from belongs to Godfry Pillay. The plant was named Reggie Pillay WTP,” said Erasmus.
The water is extracted from a nearby stream and although it is not suitable for drinking, it can be used for domestic use.
Residents collect water from the plant with their bakkies and then deliver to different areas within the Tongaat area free of charge.
“Water is an equaliser – everyone needs it and everyone should have access to it. It’s a gift from God and not man-made. We did not inherit water from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children,” said Erasmus philosophically.
Tongaat is one of the areas hardest hit by the recent floods.
The Tongaat water treatment plant was destroyed and needs to be rebuilt from scratch, which means no reliable potable water is flowing in.
According to estimations, rebuilding the plant may take six months or more as all water infrastructure was washed away.
eThekwini municipality said it was exploring alternatives, including static tanks, boreholes and package plants for water purification.
The municipality said the number of water tankers servicing Tongaat changes every day, but the minimum was 15.
This is a significant improvement from the beginning of the water crisis when only three were available to residents.
As more areas have water supply restored, more tankers will be freed up for deployment.
