KwaZulu-Natal residents relying on water from Chatsworth Reservoir 4 are facing significant delays in the restoration of their water supply following an unfortunate incident that took place on Tuesday, 5 May.
Currently, affected communities include Arena Park, Crossmoor, Montford, Moorton, Risecliff, Welbedacht East, Welbedacht West, Woodhurst, Croftdene, Bottle Informal Settlement, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 9, and Unit 11.
The eThekwini Municipality said a water distribution officer was threatened and prevented by a group of people from entering the reservoir to close the valves in order to allow the system to fill up.
“This process is done as part of the rationing initiative which was communicated to all affected communities including the schedule for when water will be closed and opened.
“Due to major water supply constraints, the City implemented rationing on its water networks in the central and south regions. This is being done to allow water to fill up at reservoirs to be distributed equally to affected communities.
“As a result of this incident, the reservoir currently does not have sufficient water to supply all the communities dependent on it. Water that is coming through the reservoir gets depleted quickly and is therefore not reaching all the intended communities,” said the municipality.
The municipality added that without adequate filling of the reservoir, the current water supply is being rapidly depleted, leaving many communities without essential access to potable water.
“Water that is coming through the reservoir gets depleted quickly and is therefore not reaching all the intended communities. The City closes the valves to build sufficient water levels which allows enough pressure for water to reach intended communities.”
Meanwhile, security measures are being heightened to protect the operations staff, and the City has assured residents that as soon as it is safe, the process to fill the reservoir will resume. However, officials have indicated that recovery is likely to take more than 48 hours, during which time water access may remain severely limited.
The City urges residents not to interfere with its infrastructure, as this impedes service delivery.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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