EThekwini Municipality says will engage with local law enforcement to investigate the possibility of sabotage after technical teams deployed to deal with the water outage in the Durban North suburbs this week, discovered that the infrastructure was vandalised.
City spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, said technical teams continue with an assessment on the northern aqueduct to ascertain the root cause of the reduced flow resulting in the interruption of water supply in Umhlanga, Durban North and surrounding areas.
"The elements of sabotage are suspected after technical teams discovered an air valve in a water pipeline that was tampered with and another valve was vandalised," she said.
In a media statement on Saturday morning, Sisilana said no major water leaks or burst pipes supplying these areas have been detected.
She added that as part of other interventions to remedy the situation, City officials will meet with bulk water supplier, UMngeni-uThukela Water, to implement alternative supply options.
"Reservoir outlets have been opened however the situation is still critical due to unstable outflows on the aqueduct feeding to the reservoirs. Reservoirs on lower levels have improved however this may change during the cause of the day, depending on consumer consumption patterns. Residents are therefore requested to please use water sparingly to prevent reservoirs from running empty as this may prolong the recovery period. Municipal officials are also continuously updating ward councillors in the affected areas and informing them of all planned interventions to improve the situation," Sisilana said.
In the meantime, water tankers will continue to supply residents until the system fully recovers.
Affected areas include:
• Durban North High-Level Reservoir: Redhill, Durban North Area, Beachway, Umgeni Park, Athlone, Japanese Gardens, and Riverside. • Durban North
• Low-Level Reservoir: Beachway and Riverside.
•Virginia 1 & 2 Reservoir: Glen Anil, Glen Hill, uMhlanga Rocks Drive, parts of Umgeni Park, Blackburn Road, Parkhill, and certain roads in Effingham.
• UMhlanga North Reservoir: UMhlanga CBD.
• UMhlanga South Reservoir: UMhlanga CBD and La Lucia.
• Sunningdale Reservoir and Towers: Sunningdale, La Lucia, La Lcuia Mall, Glen Ashley, Glen Anil, Somerset Park, UMhlanga and La Lucia Ridge.
The Municipality apologises for any inconvenience caused.
For more information regarding water supply, the public can call the toll-free number 080 311 1111 or use the eThekwini Water and Sanitation WhatsApp number 073 1483 477.
Alternatively, email: Eservices@durban.gov.za
IOL