Week-long water outage for uMgeni Park complex
A vandalised bowser has left uMgeni Park residents without water for more than a week.
THE eThekwini Municipality’s decision to limit water supplies, or ‘water-shed’, as it is also known, to many areas in North Durban is having a negative impact on ailing infrastructure as well as affecting water supply to hundreds of homes. Water is restricted between 9pm and 4am every night, but some residents in a few roads in Durban North have reportedly had little or no water supply once the scheduled water cuts have been implemented.
One complex in uMgeni Park has been severely hit by the water restrictions and has been without water for more than a week. Janis McManus, who lives on Browns Drift Road, said municipal workers from the water department had investigated the problem but were unable to identify what had caused it.
“The two complexes on either side of us have water. Our complex, however, has a little water, but the upper floors of the complex are completely without water. In my flat there hasn’t been a drop of water coming out of the taps since 26 April. It’s extremely frustrating, because you can live without electricity but not without water. It’s made me realise how precious water is. We haven’t been able to shower at home and drive to the gym to do it. This is a health hazard and it can’t keep going on.
“People from the water department have come out and determined we have pressure, but could not figure out why there is no water reaching the upper floors. The lower levels had some water, but without too much pressure. We had water until the night they began implementing the water restrictions. What really makes me angry is seeing people hosing their gardens and washing their cars. The water crisis is only going to get worse,” she said.
Update: It was later discovered that a bowser on Collard Road had been vandalised.