WARD 36 councillor Heinz de Boer has labelled the ongoing water-supply situation in the area as a ‘crisis of epic proportions’.

He made the comments following bursts on Balmoral Drive and Lothian Road in Durban North in the past week.

He has also called on the eThekwini Municipality to consider replacing old asbestos pipes completely on roads where bursts regularly occur, rather than patchwork repairs, joining new pipes to old.

Also read: City confirms delay in Old North Coast Road upgrade

Water supply issues have been a major issue in the ward for the last year with the most pressing example occurring in April when residents of Parkhill, Rosehill and Umgeni Park protested over no water for days on end.

Exacerbating the issue is a lack of plumbers available, according to De Boer, leading to a backlog.

“The old asbestos cement pipes keep on bursting again. Our call is to upgrade the water infrastructure in the area. To my knowledge there are thousands of leaks in the north but only 21 plumbers available. We’re in a crisis of epic proportions right now,” he said.

He added the turnaround time to fix leaks and bursts is one of the biggest frustrations for residents.

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