Water and sanitation problems addressed
Msunduzi’s Municipality plans to deal with burst water pipes and sanitation
MSUNDUZI Municipality has moved to solve severe water problems which are due to ageing infrastructure. The municipality will also attend to sanitation problems.
Msunduzi municipality has set aside an estimated R 19 million to replace water pipes which have been badly affecting residents from Northern areas. The Bid Adjudication Committee has finalized the appointment of a service provider, with the construction expected to commence in the middle of August 2019, with an anticipated construction duration of 12 months.
The following water mains on the roads will be replaced:
Belfort and Pioneer Road mains will be replaced with 995m new pipe, Medina Road will have a new 600m pipe installed,
Daffodil Road old pipe will be replaced by a 183m pipe,
A new 169m pipe will be installed in Amritsar Road,
Andhra Road will have a new 166m installed,
Deccan and Cora Roads will also have it pipe replaced by a new 812m pipe and a new 695m pipe will be installed at Ginger and Pastoral Roads.
Sanitation
Sarojini Road sewer main in ward 32 is problematic at present, with effluent flowing on this road, emanating from the Happy Valley area.
The main reason for the continuous blockages is due to throwing of waste (plastic bottles, packets, napkins etc.) into the upper portions of the system thus causing blockages downstream.
There are also large amounts of silt (Sand) that enters this line. This is more a social than a technical problem and in conjunction with Areas Based Management an education campaign will be planned for the Happy Valley area.
The technical solution to prevent blockages in Sarawan and Sarojini Roads is for new 900m length of sewer pipe, independent of the existing one, needs to be constructed and of at least a 300mm diameter or more to prevent blockages.
The estimated cost of this is around R 3,5 million (subject to design, tender and contract award).
Willowfontein gets new water pump
It is not only the Nothern Areas that will benefit from the Municipality’s intervention.
Water problems that have affected Willowfontein residents for the past four years will be a thing of the past, after the Msunduzi municipality installed a new water pump worth R1.1 million.
The new water pump will service areas such as KwaPhupha, KwaTomu, Soweto, Esitobhini Esikhulu, Khuzwayo, Bulwer and Manyiyisa which have been gripped by water shortage for the past four years.
As a result they have had to rely on six water tankers to provide water weekly, in which in some occasions they would not come at all. In some instances, residents have had to use dirty water coming from the Zikizi River.
Msunduzi Mayor Themba Njilo said that the water shortage crisis was not only prevalent in Willowfontein but also affected the Snathing area which also received a new water pump worth R3.7 million in June. Njilo blamed the recent drought for lowering the water pressure at reservoirs and the Albert Falls Dam to a point that water could not be pumped.
He said that due to this crisis, the municipality had been forced to only activate one water pump at once as both water pumps could not operate simultaneously. However while the installation of a new water pump will bring a sigh of relief to many residents, Njilo acknowledged that there are still a few areas where the municipality still has to fix blocked pipes and broken valves before water can reach them.
He then promised to make this project a priority, saying that after contractors who have been assigned to install the new water pump in Snathing have finished with the project, they will then come and fix the broken valves and blocked pipes.
While residents applaud the initiative, there are still concerns that areas such as Ezakhiweni, Phupha and Soweto are still experiencing the same water shortage crisis.
Ward committee member Zanele Zondi said while this has brought a sigh of relief to many residents, they hope that the municipality will keep its promise of speeding up the process in those areas that have still not been assisted.