PARTS of Ward 36 have been experiencing intermittent water supply, low pressure, and at times no water for several weeks, leading to frustration among residents and questions as to why this is happening.

Heinz de Boer, the ward councillor for the area, said the problem arose last month after a damaged valve at Nagle Dam led to a disruption of water supply to parts of Durban and North Durban.

This in turn led to taps and reservoirs running dry.

Also read: Wasted water irks Park Hill resident

Since then, however, parts of Parkhill, Rosehill and now Umgeni Park, particularly high-lying areas, have been receiving water intermittently or not at all.

De Boer said he has engaged with senior managers at eThekwini Water Services (EWS) who have started line inspections and tests to get to the bottom of the issue.

“There is a main feeder line running from Virginia along Umhlanga Rocks Drive, and then into Eastview Road. This pipe continues all the way into parts of Umgeni Park and Rosehill/Parkhill. As we also know, all systems are ring systems. The deduction I have come to is that there may be a blockage/airlock/closed valve or some obstruction on this line,” he said.

Also read: All objections to ‘bingo hall’ were considered, says City

“I suspect that the blockage does not allow water through at all. Then you have the Durban North High Level reservoir which is our secondary ring feed reservoir to the area. However, this reservoir already serves other areas, and does not have the capacity to serve its designated areas and Parkhill/Umgeni Park. This therefore leads to water only coming on and off late at night when peak water consumption is lower, therefore allowing the Parkhill area some water. The pressure is however not enough to fully service the higher areas,” he said.

De Boer said investigations or line tracing are ongoing and he would communicate with residents once the reason for the water supply issues are discovered.

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or  Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here