WATER leaks, outages and other water supply challenges in Ward 34 were raised at two public meetings last week involving the eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) department.

The first meeting was called for by PR ward councillor Jacques Poupard and over the weekend ward councillor Andrew Akkers held a second meeting for residents to raise concerns and voice their grievances.

One of the major issues according to chairperson of the Kenville and Sea Cow Lake Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, Anil Beekrum, is recurring leaks.

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He pointed to two leaks on Smithfield Road which had caused damage to the road surface and is flowing down the road, worsening the size of a pothole at the intersection of Hendon Road.

“It is frustrating but we feel the ageing infrastructure is to blame. The issue on Smithfield Road is recurring leaks and after repairing the leak, within a few weeks, the leak pops up again. We’ve already reported the issue and the residents have done what they had to by reporting the matter and getting reference numbers,” he said. “At one of the meetings the municipality said they would attend to the matter but we will wait and see.”

On Saturday, Akkers said at present, priority is being given to attending to main line and major bursts that are affecting large areas and water supply.

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“The public meeting was a way for residents raise their concerns. Currently there is a shortage of plumbers due to ongoing issues and there is still no confirmed date for when contract plumbers will return. EWS is currently operating with a limited number of municipal plumbers only, which has unfortunately resulted in significant backlogs across the city. At present, priority is being given to attending to main line and major bursts that are affecting large areas and water supply. Smaller leaks and lower priority faults may therefore experience delays,” he said.

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