Municipality to take action against illegal water connections
Properties that are found to have illegal water connections will be issued with hefty fines, followed by the removal of the illegal connections.
ACCORDING to a media statement issued by Ugu District Municipality on Monday this week, a resolution has been taken to adopt the illegal connections policy.
“We have discovered that our water infrastructure network is being exposed to a wide range of illegal connections, which prevents the municipality from collecting revenue and supplying water adequately,” said senior manager for mayoralty and communications, France Zama.
The purpose of the policy is to put in place disciplinary proceedings against those found to have illegal connections, in order to reduce non-revenue water.
“Illegal water connections are costing the municipality a heavy amount in revenue while also placing our water infrastructure under considerable stress,” said Mr Zama.
The municipality has previously taken to the streets with the water amnesty campaign on illegal connections, which gave residents a chance to admit to having llegal water connections.
“With this policy in place, municipal inspectors have been assigned to enforce the policy provisions to those properties that are in transgression of the municipal water connection policy,” explained Mr Zama.
Properties that are found to have illegal water connections will be issued with hefty fines, followed by the removal of the illegal connections. A payment for a new connection will have to be made, and all other outstanding water debts will need to be settled.
