Umuziwabantu still without sufficient water
Harding Dam is at 15 percent capacity, while the town's other key water source, the Weza River, is at an all-time low.
Water shortages continue unabated in Harding as the area remains drought-stricken.
Last week, Ugu District Municipality’s Water and Sanitation portfolio committee together with the executive council proposed that Harding be declared a disaster area in order to trigger intervention by the provincial government.
The municipality said the intervention was necessary as it could no longer afford to send water tankers to the town and needed outside help to keep providing this vital service.
After an oversight inspection, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it had found that Harding Dam was at 15 percent capacity, while the town’s other key water source, the Weza River, was at an all-time low.
DA MPL Dr Rishigen Viranna said the party welcomed the decision to declare Umuziwabantu a disaster area and called for more to be done to assist people in that area.
Dr Viranna said they had made numerous requests for the matter to be addressed over the years, and were now demanding that action be taken to bring the crisis to an end.
Ugu spokesman, France Zama said the situation was ‘very difficult’.
“The areas under the Umuziwabantu Municipality are among the hardest hit by the drought. The water source we use to supply the area, the river, has dried up and we have no other water source in that area.
“Many places are already being serviced by water tankers which have to collect water some 120 km away, but this is not enough. We are hoping that with the intervention of the provincial government, we can get more tankers.”
The municipality was also looking at imposing water restrictions in an effort to conserve what little water was available.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesman Msawakhe Mayisela urged community members to be patient as it was unclear how long it would take for the area to be declared a disaster.
