Kwambo residents still waiting for water

WHILE much of the region enjoyed good rains in recent weeks, KwaMbonambi residents still sit without running water despite scheduled water pumping hours.

‘I read with interest about Mtuba’s positive water situation, so what do we need to do to get our water situation solved?’ asked a resident, who spent much of last weekend ‘bucket bathing’.

uThungulu District Municipality spokesperson, Rekha Naidoo, said the district reticulates water to most of uMfolozi Municipality and parts of Ntambanana through the Upper Nseleni Water Scheme.

The scheme is supplied by the City of uMhlatuze which allows uThungulu to pump from its water source.

Last year the city instructed water pumping from the scheme to be cut from 24 to 12 hours a day, and in the last two months, the city further restricted the Dondotha line pumping schedule to just five hours each day.

‘This resulted in our furthermost areas not receiving water, including Dondotha, Pathane, Nhlabosini and surrounding areas, as the pipeline requires at least seven hours of pumping for the water to reach the far areas,’ said Naidoo.

‘Furthermore, the pipeline supplying areas such as KwaMbonambi Town and Mambuka has been reduced to three hours of supply, and this is also dependent on the availability of water from uMhlathuze at the time of pumping’.

Naidoo said, generally, KwaMbonambi residents should receive water between 5 and 8am, and 4 and 9pm. Should water not be available during these times, residents can access water from three water tanks near the Golf View Estate, which are filled by tankers for residents’ use.

‘We are doing our best to manage the water shortage crisis, as the drought is not within our control. It must be emphasised that the situation will not get better if we do not receive sustained good rainfall,’ said Naidoo.

Thanking residents for their patience during this battle, Naidoo said they should brace themselves for an even tougher situation going into winter.

Read more articles about the ongoing drought here.