Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Aviary Hill, a prominent suburb of Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, has seen a large section of the area without water since Thursday evening, 18 February 2022.
Nowadays later, irate residents are at a loss for words. They thought the ordeal had drawn to a close after water slowly trickled into the area late on Monday afternoon, 21 February 2022. However, this was only for a brief moment before being cut off again.
Henry de Swardt, a disgruntled resident, explains that the water outage is not the first time residents have been left high and dry.
“It’s a regular issue. When I had COVID in July, the water was off for 13 days. In December, the water was off for 18 days, although there was water now and then for short intervals.”
With the most recent water outage, De Swardt claims that he believes the Newcastle Municipality maintenance team is not repairing the problem correctly. “Because they fix one port and when they switch the water on, it breaks on another place.”
In addition, another Aviary Hill resident, Willie van den Berg, explains that, as a result of the most recent repairs on burst water pipes, Drakensberg residents, including himself, have been experiencing sporadic water outages for the past five days.
But a lack of water isn’t the only problem he’s got. Van Den Berg explains, “My paving was dug up on Saturday (19 February 2022) so the municipality could fix one of the burst pipes. But by Monday (21 February 2022), I still could not get my car out of my driveway.”
With his vehicle trapped in his yard until the municipality repairs his driveway, Van Den Berg stresses that his biggest concern is the constant repair work and water outages. “It seems as if the Municipality can’t resolve the problem.”
Another resident, Cindy Furter, concurs with both De Swart and Van Den Berg, pointing out that the water situation has reached the point of being ridiculous. “Why are we even paying rates?” she questions.
A resident who wishes to remain anonymous but lives in Flamingo Street and is also an estate agent says that residents are often forced to go out and purchase water or request assistance from friends and family living in neighbouring suburbs.
“A number of us have been told to go out and buy water tanks, but not all of us can afford to make that kind of purchase. It really feels like we are living in a third world country. It is unhygienic living like this. Also, from an estate agent’s point of view, this affects property pricing and sales in the area, as people will think twice before purchasing property in the area, due to the constant water outages.”
Residents claim that the municipal water tanker is also sent out infrequently, often without notice, leaving people with no choice but to secure their own water.
Speaking to the Ward Councillor, Democratic Alliance’s Bertie Meiring, the Newcastillian – Online News gained further insight into the problem.
In response to the situation, Cllr Meiring does not deny that there is a problem with water outages. As residents have pointed out, the Ward Councillor emphasises that the water shortage is due to the municipality having to shut off the water regularly to work on the respective burst pipes.
However, he cannot assure when residents can expect a full water supply from the Municipality’s Technical Department at this point.
“The problem is that the moment they open the water, there’s another burst pipe. It takes about 2 to 4 hours per burst pipe. When the team is busy on one burst pipe, the other residents have to wait. It means that they could be without water for many hours.”
In addition to this, Cllr Meiring explains one of the biggest challenges faced by the municipality is that the government entity is not always aware of where the burst pipes are.
As to the cause of the pipes bursting regularly, the Ward Councillor explains, “My personal opinion is that it’s faulty PRV valves. The reason why I’m saying that, is that residents complained about high water pressure and then suddenly there’s more burst pipes. But I’m not a technical person, so it’s only my personal view.”
However, he assures the Aviary Hill community that he will do his best to keep them informed to plan for the unforeseen. Also, he says, “The Technical Dept assures us that they are trying their best to solve the problem.”
The Newcastle Municipality’s Communications Unit adds that the delays in water restoration can be attributed to the non-functional PRV valve discovered in Drakensberg and Victoria. The municipality assures that their teams are currently on site working on the issue.
When it comes to the biggest issues affecting Aviary Hill, the Municipality’s Communications Unit says, “The aging of infrastructure and uncontrollable pressure within PRV’s are the biggest challenge in regards to water infrastructure.”
However, the government entity claims that its technical teams are working tirelessly around the clock to restore the water supply for residents of Aviary Hill, and replacement work should be complete by today.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Share your views in the comment section below.
RELATED NEWS
2 Responses
That is aweful
Completed by today? Laughable Pipes still bursting one after another Drive around the area and see for yourself – looks like a war zone