THEFT of electrical components and vandalism at Ward 90 reservoirs have caused water outages that have left taps dry in some areas.

Also read: Repairs cut water off on the South Coast

To address this, a representative from eThekwini Municipality’s water department joined the community of Malabar Hills in Isipingo and the ward councillor to discuss outages that affect the area daily.

Ward 90 councillor Shad Nowbuth said that the stoppages last for several hours at a time, and it has left the community deeply frustrated.

“It was pointed out that because the Malabar Hills water reservoir was severely vandalised and the power supply was constantly being disrupted every time it was fixed, it was necessary for water department officials to manually operate the water valves to fill the water tower,” said Nowbuth.

This operation was undertaken at great risk to the officials’ safety and municipal vehicles as there were threats made against them by dwellers of an adjacent informal settlement.

“The water department has decided on measures to expedite restoring water in the interim while a lasting solution is reached to ensure uninterrupted water supply to those customers who receive their water supply from the tower,” he said.

A theft of essential electrical fittings and equipment from the Pelican Drive reservoir has also led to a water shortage in Lotus Park.

Technicians have been operating the reservoir valves manually to ensure that water is restored to all affected areas.

eThekwini Municipality has asked all communities to look after all public infrastructure and report those who vandalise it to the police.

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