Utrecht and Dannhauser Water Supply Problems Reach KZN Legislature for Resolution

For several months, two local Northern KwaZulu-Natal towns have been plagued by an onslaught of water supply interruptions. However, the ongoing water supply issues in Utrecht and Dannhauser have now reached the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, with answers being demanded regarding how the ongoing water interruptions will be resolved.

This follows Dr Imran Keeka, of the Democratic Alliance and a member of the KZN Legislature, querying the ongoing water issues currently plaguing the two towns and submitting questions on the subject to the KZN Premier, Thami Ntuli.

As explained by Dr Keeka, the communities of Utrecht and Dannhauser find themselves without water – on and off – on a regular basis. With each incident, Dr Keeka claimed residents of the two communities are without water for days on end, at times for up to a week.

“There are insufficient tankers to handle the volume that is required, and the problem is repeated. The District Mayor (the mayor of the Amajuba District Municipality) has confided to councillors that Municipal staff may be behind this and has shown them what he thinks is sabotage by municipal water officials, where pumps have been destroyed, allegedly because these staff members will no longer be paid overtime by the Amajuba District Municipality,” explained Dr Keeka in his query to Premier Ntuli.

With this in mind, Dr Keeka asked if the Premier was aware of the issue going on in Dannhauser and Utrecht, what interventions were being put into place to secure a clear and constant water supply to residents, and what had been put implemented to determine who is behind any possible sabotage.

The Office of the Premier responded by explaining that the Premier was aware of the ongoing issues in both Utrecht and Dannhauser. “These disruptions, compounded by allegations of sabotage, are a matter of serious concern, and are being addressed in coordination with the relevant stakeholders, including the Amajuba District Municipality,” emphasised the Office of the Premier.

Additionally, the Office of the Premier explained there are interventions in place for both the eMadlangeni (Utrecht) Municipality and the Dannhauser Municipality to secure water supply. When looking at Utrecht, the Office of the Premier explained that there are two primary sources of potable water. These are:

• The Utrecht Water Treatment Plant – which supplies Wards 2 and 5 of Utrecht.
• The eMadlangeni Bulk Water Line, which is managed by uThukela Water and Newcastle Municipality, servicing Wards 3 and 5.

Considering this, the Office of the Premier explained that the supplementary measures to secure the water supply included the deployment of three water tankers owned by the Amajuba District Municipality, which are complemented by two hired tankers. However, the Premier’s Office acknowledged that these water tankers do not fully meet the demands of the community. Another supplementary measure includes infrastructure support through eight solar production boreholes, 20 hand-pumped boreholes, and seven protected spring sources.

Despite these interventions, the Office of the Premier noted there were challenges that needed to be overcome within the Utrecht community.

These challenges included low water pressure due to informal settlement growth, as well as illegal connections along the eMadlangeni Bulk Water Line which is adding further strain to water supply. Another challenge included infrastructure vandalism.

Reflecting on the Dannhauser Municipality and interventions, it was stressed that there are three main sources of potable water in the area. These are as follows:

• The Durnacol Water Treatment Plant, which serves Ward 2 in Dannhauser.
• A bulk water line from Endumeni (Dundee) via uThukela Water, supplying Hattingspruit (Ward 3).
• A bulk line, which is managed by uThukela Water through the Newcastle Municipality, servicing Braakfontein, Buffalo Flats, Wards 4 to 13 in Dannhauser, and Waterval Prison.

Additionally, supplementary interventions include the following:

• Deployment of four water tankers, two of which are owned by the Amajuba District Municipality and two of which are hired. However, the Premier’s Office noted there was a challenge with these, with the Office of the Premier stating in its response to Dr Keeka, that these trucks are insufficient due to high demand for water and frequent breakdowns of the water tankers due to poor road conditions.
• Infrastructure support through 25 hand-pumped boreholes and four protected spring sources.

Delving further into the water supply challenges faced in the Dannhauser Municipality, the Office of the Premier explained the most persistent challenges in the community mirrored the challenges faced in Utrecht, namely informal settlement growth, illegal connections and infrastructure vandalism.

As vandalism and sabotage have been claimed to be contributing factors to the water supply challenges in the two communities, the Office of the Premier explained that the Amajuba District Municipality is initiating measures to address the possible sabotage.

These measures include:

• The deployment of security personnel to critical water infrastructure sites to prevent sabotage and vandalism.
• Continuous public awareness campaigns during community roadshows and local media engagements to highlight the consequences of vandalism and illegal connections.

“The Premier remains committed to ensuring that the residents of Dannhauser and eMadlangeni (Utrecht) have access to a consistent and reliable water supply. Further investigations into the allegations of sabotage are being undertaken in collaboration with law enforcement and municipal officials,” concluded the Office of the Premier.

As the concerns about the continuous water supply interruptions in Utrecht and Dannhauser are now officially being addressed, what are your thoughts on the above?

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