A well standpipe outside the Filangezwi day care center in Fakaji village. Some residents get their water from there. (Tsoanelo Sefoloko)
Ward 105 of eThekwini city has had dry water supply for more than eight years.
Residents of numerous villages dotting the hilly countryside say their tap water began to dry up in 2014, when it was restricted to running only at night, but has declined since it became part of the system. He says there is no. Ethekwini.
The area was once part of Vlamelo and Umdoni municipalities under the jurisdiction of Ugu County Municipality, but was transferred to eThekwini municipality in 2016.
Ward residents say there have been problems with water supply under Ugu Municipality, which is struggling to provide water to households on the south coast, but the situation has worsened since eThekwini took charge. spoke.
Ward 105 is about 40km south-east of Durban and includes the villages of Fakazi, Mugendwa, Ubwini, Amandrutu, Tenjana and Mfume, all of which have no access to running water.
Some residents of Fakazi village rely on a borehole installed at Filangezwi Nursery School by Humanity South Africa two years ago.
Residents said a borehole standpipe had been installed outside the nursery grounds for families to access at any time. In return, residents agreed to help maintain it.
The residents said they did not want to be named because they could not speak without Induna's approval.
There are signs on the standpipes that say the water is not potable and can only be used for domestic purposes such as laundry, but residents say subsequent tests have shown it to be clean, so people are not using the water. He said he drank it.
Water trucks only arrive twice a month, on Sundays, so those who live far from the day care center fetch water from the nearest river.
Residents say water tankers do not carry enough water to supply the entire village, and some residents have to carry water more than 500 meters due to a lack of access roads to their homes. That's what it means.
Community leader Sikhumbuzo Cele said the ward was one of the largest in the municipality, with more than 5,000 households.
Cele said that in addition to the protest movement that resulted in the handing over of the memorandum, he has also tried to work with local governments, saying, “We have emailed, telephoned, and even visited water stations several times, but to no avail.'' Ta.
As a result, “some local residents resorted to violence” through strikes and picketing.
He said not only are there a shortage of water trucks, but the elderly and people on medication are unable to get water from water trucks.
When GroundUp last spoke to him on Wednesday, he said it had been three weeks since the last water tanker arrived.
Sudumushiru Kanyase, a resident of nearby Ubwini village, said the communal tap has also run dry since 2016, leaving households dependent on water tankers and the river for water. “We share water with river animals,” Kanyase said.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the municipality has been working on the Mfume system upgrade project for the past five years to address the ongoing water shortage in these areas.
Sicilana said the project's planning phase was completed in 2021 and is currently awaiting implementation approval.
“The current construction of the Umgeni-Uthukela downstream Umhomazi project, scheduled to be completed between 2027 and 2030, is expected to address limited and large water supplies,” Sisilana said.
This article was first published by GroundUp.
