MANY  suburbs in the south of Durban have experienced major water pipe bursts, leaving many residents without access to water for more than five days.

The affected areas include Wentworth, Montclair, and parts of Jacobs. It is suspected that the recurring bursts are primarily caused by ageing infrastructure and heavy trucks using residential roads, which have further damaged the underground pipelines.

Ward 64 councillor Norman Gilbert called for immediate accountability and stricter enforcement of municipal by-laws.

According to Gilbert, the persistent bursts are primarily the result of ageing infrastructure and damage caused by heavy-duty vehicles operating in residential areas not designed to handle such traffic.

Ageing infrastructure blamed for recurring burst water pipes

“Much of our water network has long exceeded its intended lifespan. These pipes are fragile, and frequent pressure fluctuations make them even more vulnerable. Every time a pipe bursts, residents lose water, roads are flooded, and resources are stretched thin trying to fix problems that should have been prevented,” said Gilbert.

He further pointed to the increasing presence of 30-ton trucks in residential neighbourhoods as a major contributor to the problem.

“These trucks are driving and even parking over underground pipelines that were never built to withstand that kind of weight. It’s accelerating structural failure and placing an enormous burden on our already fragile infrastructure,” he said.

He called on both the metro police and the Land Use Management Department to step up enforcement against transport companies that continue to ignore by-laws restricting heavy vehicle movement in certain zones.

“The city must take accountability. The by-laws are there to protect our infrastructure and our communities, but without enforcement they mean nothing. We need immediate action before more residents are left without water and more public funds are wasted on preventable repairs,” he added.

Residents have expressed growing concern as repeated pipe bursts have disrupted water supply across several suburbs in recent weeks. City officials have not yet issued a formal response to the councillor’s remarks, but municipal teams continue to attend to emergency repairs across the affected areas.

Gilbert said municipal teams continue to attend to emergency repairs across the affected areas.

Ward 68 councillor Aubrey Snyman said burst water pipe issues have been occurring as from Monday last week and continued the entire week.

“In Montclair, the pressure release valves were monitored on Wednesday, and the system now seems to have stabilised. However, a few houses on Durham Road are still experiencing low water pressure. One house, 34 Durham Road, currently has no water at all due to insufficient pressure reaching the property. This has been reported, and the matter is being investigated,” said Snyman.

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