Municipal
Brace for dry taps: New water shutdown planned for Wiggins Water Treatment Works
The city's water network will shut down reservoir outlets that are dependent on the Wiggins Water Treatment Works this afternoon, April 16.
ETHEKWINI Municipality has announced another planned shutdown this afternoon (April 16) for reservoir outlets that are supplied by Wiggins Water Treatment Works.
The shutdown is part of multifaceted interventions to build storage for the restoration of water supply. Last week eThekwini released a statement about a planned water shutdown, that was supposed to take place on April 8 until April 9.
The two-day shutdown was intended for uMngeni-uThukela Water to replace 1 200mm diameter seals and inspect meters on the Wiggins Water Treatment Works gravity bulk pipeline.
However, with the shutdown overlapping with the high-profile G20 event, concerns arose about the optics of leaving international delegates without running water.
According to the municipality, this exercise will take place from 17:00 to 21:00 and may be repeated until the system fully recovers.
“Currently, there is a significant reduction in gravity and high lift flow from the Wiggins Water Treatment Works.
This is resulting in interruptions to the water supply in areas served by these pipelines. This includes a current 10-megalitre shortfall from the treatment works’ raw water inflow,” said the municipality in a statement.
“The City’s Water Distribution Operations team and uMgeni-uThukela Water are working on a water recovery plan. This plan involves assisting Wiggins in recovering its storage, which includes shutting the Ridge Reservoir inlets (both high lift and gravity lines) and stopping the South Coast Augmentation pumps to hold water back to Wiggins.
Affected areas in the Central region are:
Jacobs, Merebank East, Merewent, Mobeni, Mobeni west, Reunion, Bayhead, Beach, Beachwood, Austerville, Brighton Beach, Wentworth, Bay Head, Clairwood, Montclair, Rossburgh, Woodlands, part of Mobeni Heights, and parts of Lamontville.
For more information regarding water supply, the public can download eThekwini Municipality’s mobile app to log faults or send a WhatsApp to 073 1483 477. Alternatively, call the toll-free number 080 311 1111 or email Eservices@durban.gov.za.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
