The call to residents by the eThekwini Municipality to disconnect their Jojo tanks from the municipal water supply system and instead use them to harvest rainwater has been described as “insensitive”.
DA councillor Mzamo Billy said the call was both “ironic and insensitive” given the municipality’s role in the water supply crises faced by residents.
In a statement recently, the municipality said residents with static water tanks (Jojo tanks) at their homes should disconnect them from the municipal reticulation system to conserve water.
Residents, said the statement, are encouraged to practise rainwater harvesting as a viable option for additional water storage.
It said the Phoenix 2 Reservoir Zone is struggling the most due to the increased number of static water tanks that residents have installed at their homes.
Areas like Phoenix and Verulam have been faced with water shortages.
“The negative impact of having too many static tanks is that the available water supply is not shared equitably among residents. As water fills up in static tanks, some families experience intermittent or no water supply, while the reservoir builds up storage,” said the statement.
Billy said the DA in eThekwini urges the municipality to urgently rethink its call for the disconnection of residential static water tanks in the areas affected by constant water outages and the city’s inefficiency in the north of Durban.
“The call to disconnect Jojo tanks in areas facing constant water outages appears counter-productive, particularly when the ANC-EFF-led municipality itself has contributed to the problem through infrastructure neglect and billing inconsistencies.
“The inefficiency in responding to infrastructure damage caused by floods, and the substantial loss of purchased water due to leaks and illegal connections, are alarming issues. It’s understandable why the DA finds the City’s explanation for disconnecting the tanks both ironic and insensitive, given the municipality’s role in exacerbating the crisis.
“To make matters worse, around 56% of eThekwini’s purchased water is lost through its own leaking infrastructure and illegal connections while honest, hard-working ratepayers are still expected to cover this loss,” Billy said.
The Mercury