IN an attempt to be proactive in the face of long-standing water service disruptions, the Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA) has launched a community-led water outage tracker. The tracker is an online platform aimed at improving accountability, identifying infrastructure issues and minimising response times for any future water outages.

Also read: Water outages loom over The Bluff

BRRA vice chairperson Allison Schoeman labelled the project a strategic step in harnessing community power to address long-term service delivery failures.

“By mapping this outage, we hope to better understand water reticulation patterns and identify weaknesses in the system. Community participation is critical to building evidence-based pressure for change, both now and in the future,” said Schoeman.

Tracking in real time:

The tracker allows residents to log valuable information about their water supply status, such as:

• When the water cut off in their area

• If supply restarted briefly and failed once more

• Which zones were not influenced

• The current water pressure (off, low pressure or restored)

This data is analysed to determine how water is being distributed, where bottlenecks are occurring, and which infrastructure zones may be at risk of recurring problems.

Why participation still matters:

Schoeman urged residents to fill out the tracker even after their water supply has been restored. Post-outage data plays a key role in:

•Analysing restoration timelines

•Revealing inconsistencies in water distribution

•Highlighting areas that experience repeated disruptions

The association will continue to use the tracker as a long-term monitoring tool to better prepare for future outages and support community-led interventions.

A long-term solution:

Rather than a short-term solution, the Water Outage Tracker will be a long-term resilience tool. The BRRA will use the data collected to:

•Develop a street-by-street water distribution map

•Make a case for infrastructure enhancement

•Facilitate better communication and preparedness during future service interruptions

“We are not waiting for answers. We are building them — together,” Schoeman added.

Accessing the tracker:

Residents can access the tracker via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciP-nku7v2kgQ5RjvKCcAPov8Tbv3aQ1sSgo0XnltKKAGINg/viewform

Everyone is welcome to report, even if their supply is not presently interrupted. Every contribution provides a more accurate picture of the greater situation.

A reminder to report officially:

It is important to note the BRRA tracker does not substitute official municipal reporting. Residents still need to report water outages to eThekwini Municipality through:

• Email: Eservices@durban.gov.za
• WhatsApp: 073 148 3477
• Call centre: 080 13 13 013
• eThekwini mobile app

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