MEDIA AND PUBLIC STATEMENT
Wednesday, 28 August 2024
uMngeni-uThukela Water and the eThekwini Municipality have put in place an immediate plan to relieve communities affected by water shortages due to an upsurge in algae in raw water. We would like to apologise and reassure residents that we are working around the clock to resolve the situation.
uMngeni-uThukela Water has provided an additional 30 water tankers to add to eThekwini Municipality’s fleet of tankers that are being dispatched to communities affected by the reduction of treated water to parts of the City due to the algae outbreak.
These water tankers will deliver water twice a day, in the morning and the evening, to areas affected by the water shortage.
Over the past two weeks, uMngeni-uThukela Water’s Durban Heights Water Treatment Works has been treating lower than normal volumes of water due to an upsurge in algae in raw water from the Nagle-Albert Falls system. As a result, some areas in the north, south of eThekwini which receive their bulk water supply from the Durban Heights Water Treatment Works have experienced water outages. Some parts of the outer west of eThekwini that are also supplied through the Nagle-Albert Falls system have also been affected.
While the challenge of the presence of algae still persists in the raw water being received from the Nagle Dam-Albert Falls system from treatment, there has been a gradual decrease in the volumes of algae.
This has enabled uMngeni-uThukela Water to treat and supply additional volumes of water to the eThekwini Municipality. However, due to the low levels of water at the Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant, it is anticipated that it will take between 5 and 7 days for the system and reservoirs in eThekwini to stabilise.
In the meantime, uMngeni-uThukela Water and the eThekwini Municipality will continue providing water tankers to all communities affected by the water shortage.
uMngeni-uThukela Water continues with efforts of optimising its treatment processes to rid the water of excess algae. This includes using advanced chemical treatment methods to unclog its filters.
The raw water quality is also being monitored daily and we anticipate that the problem will be resolved once the algal count from Albert Falls-Nagle Dam subsides.
While the increased presence of algae is not common in the colder winter season, there has been an increased algal count at the Durban Heights Water Works which has led to the clogging of filters.
In order to relieve the communities affected by the water shortage, water tankers will continue to be dispatched in the affected areas until the situation normalises.
The Municipality liaises with Ward Councillors for the purpose of Informing residents about the arrival of the tankers in their area.
Ward Councillors are elected public representatives and assist in coordinating deployment of water tankers in their respective wards.
Residents are encouraged to engage with their Ward Councillors and to check eThekwini Municipality’s social media pages.
Jointly Issued by uMngeni-uThukela Water and the eThekwini Municipality
