Water supply restored to Umbilo

AFTER seven days of low pressure and dry taps in certain parts of Umbilo, water supply has been restored to the area, with several leaks and burst pipes identified as the main cause of the problem.

Also read: No timetable for water cuts – eThekwini Municipality

Ward 33 Councilor Fran Kristopher said the problem started with a leak on Bartle Road near the Methodist Church, where six valves were closed by on-site technicians and a TLB was brought in to excavate and determine the cause of the problem to locate while waiting for water tanks to arrive.

“The leaking pipe was repaired and upon inspection everything appeared to be in order as surrounding residents confirmed that water had been restored. However, an hour later, residents complained of low pressure and some were without water again,” Kristopher said.

Also Read: Widespread water outages cause frustration in Berea

A burst pipe in the Prospect and Fielden area compounded the ordeal as it took a day to repair and resulted in low pressure in several homes. The problem was compounded by another leak at Hillier Road and Cavell Place.

“We found two severely damaged valves and the technical team had to cut through the surface to locate and replace the damaged valves in Cavell at the end of Bartle Road and at the end of Umbilo Road. For some residents of Umbilo, it was the sixth day that their water supply was interrupted. I requested more tankers and contacted Cllr Thabani Mthethwa and Deputy Chief Water Officer Msizi Shabalala as this low pressure challenge required intervention and advanced technicians to map and locate the source of the problem. On day seven, we managed to reverse all four repairs and located the valve causing the problem off Bartle Road. Within 30 minutes, residents reported that the pressure was at normal levels and everything was back to normal,” Kristopher said.

Also read: City takes action against increased water demand

Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality recently reported leak closure successes with 816 burst pipes, 5,429 operational leaks, 3,901 service pipe leaks and 3,412 leaks treated in August. City Manager Musa Mbhele said: “Reducing water losses and improving water management remains a key priority; It is important that we turn the tide as these losses result in significant financial losses and place a strain on resources for the community.”

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