Cut back on your water usage or we are going to do it for you, the eThekwini city council has warned.
|||Durban - Cut back on your water usage or we are going to do it for you. This was the warning from eThekwini city council on Friday.
And the way the city plans to come down on homes and businesses is by insisting on a 15 percent saving on their average consumption based on their annual usage.
If the saving is not made, the city will install a water restrictor and impose a fine on that household or company – R500 for domestic consumers and up to R10 000 for business.
The tough message from city authorities to Durban residents and businesses came during a special full council meeting at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Friday.
This comes as urgent resolutions were passed in an effort to cope with the current severe drought and stave off possible water cuts across the city.
The punitive and limited use of water restrictors is a u-turn in the city’s water-saving strategy.
Last week, Ethekwini Municipality said in a press statement there would be a full-scale roll-out of water restrictors across the city.
This was issued following complaints by Phoenix residents to their local councillor after their water flow was drastically reduced, and it came to light that water restrictors had been installed without prior notice.
With recommendations passed on Friday, the city will now calculate average usage for each domestic consumer and business account by taking monthly consumption over the past 12 months.
Residents are urged to do the same and the municipality said communication was being sent out in this regard.
Should the consumer not meet the required 15 percent reduction, a contractor will come knocking to install a water restrictor.
Earlier in the week ratepayers were alarmed when a schedule of daily water cuts in various parts of the city was leaked online. Hospitals, schools and factories reacted with horror, wanting to know how they could continue functioning under those conditions. The city tried to reassure ratepayers by saying this was a last resort option and no cuts were planned for now.
But clearly authorities are worried. Yesterday the city’s head of water and sanitation, Ednick Msweli, lamented there had been very little response to the city’s plea to residents and businesses to cut water usage by 15 percent.
At the meeting, Msweli said although the city had run “aggressive” awareness campaigns for the public, “we did not get the response we thought we would.
“We need to be proactive and not wait until all our dams are at 30 percent, as no one knows for certain when the rain will come.
“All the dams levels are dropping. If we do nothing, there will be no water left by the end of the year.”
Umgeni Water’s general manager for engineering and scientific services, Steve Gillham, underlined the dire consequences for Durban and surrounds should consumers not adhere to the 15 percent required reduction, saying: “Both Midmar and Albert Falls Dams will be empty by the end of the year and, although Inanda Dam is lagging behind them, it is going the same way if water consumption remains at the current level.”
As of on Friday, Midmar Dam was at 46 percent and Albert Falls at 37 percent. These are the two major dams which supply the Ethekwini region.
In his presentation, which indicated current water consumption was not achieving baseline requirements, let alone a 15 percent saving, Gillham also warned: “Despite all our messages going out, we think some people may be stocking up on water, which will cause the reservoirs to run dry.
“If we can all achieve this now, we can get through this drought until the rains arrive.”
All parties agreed unanimously on the urgent need to save water, although opposition parties raised questions over the cost of the installation of the water restrictors, as well as keeping the public aware as to what to expect.
The DA’s Heinz de Boer accused the city of being “the biggest loser of water” highlighting the 30 percent loss from the city’s water to leaks. This was also brought to the fore by other opposition parties, saying this considerable loss of water by the city needed to be urgently rectified.
De Boer also asked about the financial ramifications and loss of revenue the 15 percent reduction would have on the city’s income, as well as that of Umgeni Water.
Possible other sources for water were also brought up, including re-using water and desalination.
On Friday Phoenix resident Kesavan Pillay, who has had a restrictor fitted by the council, said water coming through his taps was “very slow and if there’s an open tap in the house, the shower water stops altogether”. Another resident, Rishana Nabee Bukus, was concerned as her pipe was leaking after the water restrictor had been installed and the water flow to her house also seemed to have very low pressure.
Independent on Saturday
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