uMngeni municipal water supply sustainability

It is distressing to read in the press of the crisis facing certain Durban residents as a result of the collapse of the waste water treatment plants in some areas, due to the damage caused by the floods.

It is alarming that many months after the floods, water mains are still carrying water contaminated by untreated sewage resulting in one reported death due to diarrhoea.

Durban beaches have been closed to the public at various times due to the collapsed waste water treatment plants bordering the Umgeni River.

The state of waste water treatment plants in KZN is seldom communicated to the public which is a serious omission in accountability on the part of the government authority responsible for the supply of water. In most of KZN this would be Umgeni Water.

The Green Drop report for the Free State indicated that more than half the waste water treatment plants in that province are dysfunctional. Is this possible in KZN?

In the case of uMngeni, residents are fortunate to be receiving good quality water at the moment.

The concern has always been that the Umngeni [Howick] waste water treatment plant is stretched and is working in excess of capacity due to a number of reasons.

The purpose of this letter is to suggest that Umgeni Water and the Umgungundlovu District Council should provide the residents of uMngeni with a regular update on the capacity and efficiency of the local waste water treatment works and the supply of purified water to the region in general.

What is the quality of the discharge from our treatment plant? Does the discharge meet acceptable levels of contamination [ecoli count]? What plans are there in place to extend this works to cope with increased volumes in the future?

Furthermore it is suggested that quarterly performance criteria be published in the press in order to inform the residents of the efficiency of the local treatment plant and water supply systems.

In the case of Mpophomeni serious water supply problems have been noted in the past. Have these been fixed?

The new treatment plant does not seem to be making speedy progress; are sufficient funds available to complete this project?

If this information is already being provided to uMngeni Council then this information needs to be shared with residents.

Howick doesn’t need a Durban scenario thrust upon us. Residents need to be kept informed.

Let’s plan for the future and not wait for a crisis to happen before action is taken.