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Water shedding explained by Ward 35 councillor
She said that in the northern region, most of the supply comes from Nagal Dam and is then treated at the Durban Heights water treatment plant.
WATER shedding will be implemented in several areas in Durban, starting this afternoon.
Several questions surrounding the topic have surfaced that Ward 35 Councillor Nicole Bollman has some of the answers to.
“The water is being rationed because two of the four aqueducts, that transport raw water from Nagal Dam to the Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant in Reservoir Hills, were damaged by rock falls during the April flood. Subsequently, there has been a vast reduction of supply from Umgeni Water which is the supplier to eThekwini, who is the consumer,” said Bollman.
She said that in the northern region, most of the supply comes from Nagal Dam, and the water is then treated at the Durban Heights water treatment plant.
“The northern region’s bulk system includes two bulk main feeds: a 1 050mm diameter and a 700mm diameter.
“The small pipe is opened to the north during the day as a top-up to our various reservoirs, while the big pipe is opened at night, filling our reservoirs for use the next day,” said Bollman.
There is a reason why the water is shut off at 15:00 and re-opened at 06:00 the following day.
“The water system is a hydraulic system that works with gravity, so reservoirs and towers need to be suitably full in order to not only reach the lower-lying areas but to accumulate enough supply for levels to be reached – and to create enough pressure,” said Bollman.
Ward 36 Councillor Shontel de Boer said filling up of empty or new water tanks and pools should be avoided at the time.
“The system is already under immense pressure. To fill up water in bulk is going to cause more issues. Storing water for daily use such as flushing toilets, bathing, washing dishes and the like, is reasonable,” she said.
She added that since water shedding had been implemented, no serious issues have been reported.
“There were instances where the higher-lying areas did not receive water, but these problems were sorted out along the way. It’s also important to note that the eThekwini Municipality is not responsible for these repairs; it is the work of Umgeni Water,” she said.
Work on the two aqueducts is scheduled to start this week, and the estimated completion date is July 2023.
Some of the following areas will be affected by water rationing:
- Avoca, Effingham, Red Hill, Greenwood Park and Durban North.
- Sunningdale, La Lucia, Glenashley and Umhlanga.
- Queensburgh, Malvern and Northdene.
- Berea West and Westville Central.
Find the water rationing schedule here:
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