‘We need tankers’

WHILE residents have to wait another two months before the Tongaat Water Treatment Works is fixed, there is growing frustration at the lack of tankers.

Don Perumal, chairperson of the Tongaat Civic Association, said the challenge was the number of water tankers in Tongaat.

“There was a section of Belvedere that was receiving water for two to three months, but that has stopped, as well as another line. It looks like ethekwini or Umgeni Water are suppressing the people even more by not allowing water in those areas. There have been calls from various sectors in Tongaat that ethekwini should bring in more water tankers.

“If water can come to certain taps, we wouldn’t need the tankers,” said Perumal.

He said while the treatment plant was being repaired, there was a need for adequate water tankers.

The ethekwini Municipality recently appointed a contractor to fix the Tongaat Water Treatment Works which was destroyed during the April floods.

Jay Govender, secretary of the Tongaat Ratepayers Association, said people were suffering worse than before because of the lack of water tankers.

“Tanker water is few and far between. We were promised 20 tankers, even if we get two tankers for the day we are lucky.

“Different wards have different requirements.

“There are three wards in Tongaat and Tongaat needs 10 tankers. If those 10 tankers do three shifts a day, each ward will have tankers for the day. Someone in the municipality is not thinking clearly.

“All the people want is water. We want transparency and honesty,” said Govender.

This week in response to parliamentary questions which were posed by the EFF, Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu said solutions were in sight.

The EFF wanted to know what date was envisaged by the department to assist with providing a water supply to the residents of Tongaat.

“The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) established a war room to assist the ethekwini Municipality to manage the impacts of the floods on water services provision, on April 15, 2022. Officials of the DWS are members of the war room and are monitoring interventions to ensure water services are restored and alternative water supplies provided,” Mchunu said in his written reply.

“The ethekwini Metro has appointed a contractor to reinstate the Tongaat Water Treatment Works. The construction is scheduled to be complete and the works commissioned by September 30, 2022,” he said.

Mchunu said that in the interim, the ethekwini Municipality was providing water tankers.

Lindiwe Khuzwayo, an ethekwini Municipality spokesperson said to date more than 20 water tankers have been deployed to the area.

“We have also installed water tanks in the area for all non-drinking-related water-use purposes.

“Where the city is alleged to have shortcomings, we are appealing to communities to bring evidence of such to us so these can be addressed.

“Work to rebuild the water treatment plant in the area is underway,” said Khuzwayo.