THE KZN Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has urged communities to use water sparingly and to report illegal connections amid efforts to maintain stable water levels ahead of the winter season.

While KZN dam levels have been stable over the past few weeks, the department said more work needs to be done to alleviate water scarcity challenges in the province.

ALSO READ: Winter season to impact KZN dam levels

In Zululand, the Goedertrouw dam near eShowe was recorded at 75% while Hluhluwe dam, which had reached the 100% mark last month, is at 99% and Pongolapoort at 59%.

‘While we work to ensure that each and every household has reliable and good quality water, we call on residents to play their part.

‘Use water sparingly and report cases of infrastructure failure, including vandalism, illegal connections and water leaks, to local authorities.

‘We can only win this by working together,’ said DWS spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau.

The call for communities to report illegal connections follows a similar plea by King Cetshwayo district mayor, Lindokuhle Phungula during a roadshow to present the municipality’s draft budget.

‘We are criticised for poor water service in the suburbs, townships and rural areas, but the problem is illegal connections which disrupt the system, causing water delivery at lower volumes than the system was designed for.

‘It costs a lot of money to fix these problems. We then have to provide costly water tankers to supply areas where there is no access to water owing to these illegal connections.

‘It is a critical matter and we are working with various stakeholders to eradicate the problem,’ Phungula said.

HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

For news straight to your phone invite us:

WhatsApp – 060 784 2695

Instagram – zululand_observer