Friday, 26 May 2023
An anonymous WhatsApp message, forwarded multiple times, is causing unwarranted concern about the availability of water in the next few days due what it says is reducing levels of dams. Although the message does not specify which dams are drying up and why and which areas could face water shortages this weekend, uMngeni-uThukela Water continues to receive inquiries from members of the public and the media about the status of water resources and whether there is any substance to the contents of the WhatsApp message.
uMngeni-uThukela Water wishes to provide an assurance that the dams that it manages and operates in a vast area of KwaZulu-Natal have adequate water resources to meet the full drinking water (potable water) needs of its municipal customers during the coming generally dry season – the winter months – and well into 2024.
The levels of dams as at Friday, 26 May 2023, are:
| Dam | Level | System | Municipal Customer Supplied (Water Services Authority) |
| Spring Grove | 94% | Mgeni | uMgungundlovu District Municipality Msunduzi Local Municipality eThekwini Metro |
| Means | 105% | Mgeni | uMgungundlovu District Municipality Msunduzi Local Municipality eThekwini Metro |
| Midmar | 97% | Mgeni | uMgungundlovu District Municipality Msunduzi Local Municipality eThekwini Metro |
| Albert Falls | 100% | Lower Mgeni | eThekwini Metro |
| Nagle | 100% | Lower Mgeni | eThekwini Metro |
| Inanda | 101% | Lower Mgeni | eThekwini Metro |
| Umzinto | 100% | South Coast | Ugu District Municipality |
| EJ Smith | 100% | South Coast | Ugu District Municipality |
| Nungwane | 101% | South Coast | Ugu District Municipality |
| Mhlabatshane | 100% | South Coast | Ugu District Municipality |
| Ludeke | 62% | Mbizana (Eastern Cape) | Alfred Nzo District Municipality |
| Hazelmere | 59% | Hazelmere (North of Durban and parts of iLembe) |
eThekwini Metro iLembe District Municipality Siza Water |
| iMvutshane | 66% | Maphumulo | iLembe District Municipality |
| Home Farm | 101% | Ixopo | Harry Gwala District Municipality |
In the uThukela District, north-west of KwaZulu-Natal, the levels of four dams there are:
- Woodstock: 99%
- Spioenkop: 100%
- Wagendrift: 101%
- Olifantskop: 102%
These dams supply the uThukela District Municipality.
The Goedertrouw Dam, outside Eshowe in King Cetshwayo District, is at 100%
Water stored in all of these dams are abstracted and treated at nearby water treatment plants and supplied as drinking water to municipalities for distribution to consumers.
As at Friday, 26 May 2023, the collective amount of water in the Mgeni System – the largest system in KwaZulu-Natal – is at 96%. This means there is sufficient water to meet the full demands of the three municipalities that receive water from it. The collective amount of water in the South Coast System, as at 26 May 2023, is at 100%, which also indicates that there is adequate water resources available. All the other systems – Hazelmere, Maphumulo, Ixopo and uThukela – are also in a healthy state.
Consumers are, therefore, urged to disregard the WhatsApp message as it does not correlate with the factual position with regards to available water resources.
Drinking Water Produced at uMngeni-uThukela Water is SANS 241 Complaint and Safe to Drink
In the wake of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, City of Tshwane in Gauteng, uMngeni-uThukela Water has been repeatedly asked by Ward Councillors and other members of the public: How safe is the drinking water produced at uMngeni-uThukela Water’s treatment plants and supplied to municipalities?
uMngeni-uThukela Water provides an assurance that the drinking) water it supplies to its customers conforms to drinking water quality standards as stipulated in South African National Standards (SANS) 241 for drinking water quality. Advanced water treatment technologies and chemicals are used at uMngeni-uThukela Water’s water treatment plants to treat raw water abstracted from rivers and dams so that safe drinking water is produced for the protection of public health. Chlorine and chlorine-based compounds are used as disinfectants to efficiently and effectively destroy microorganisms during the water treatment process.
The potable water that is supplied by uMngeni-uThukela Water’s bulk water works to its customers is fully compliant with the requirements of SANS 241 and is fit for a lifetime of consumption. In the presence of a disinfectant residual, water supplied by uMngeni-uThukela Water is safe to drink without boiling or further disinfection. The treatment process is rigorous in ensuring only water that is safe for public consumption is distributed.
uMngeni-uThukela Water supplies drinking water in bulk to eThekwini Metro, Msunduzi Local Municipality, uMgungundlovu District Municipality, iLembe District Municipality, Ugu District Municipality, Harry Gwala District Municipality, King Cetshwayo District Municipality and Siza Water.
In addition to daily monitoring of drinking water at the water treatment plants, supplementary monitoring is also undertaken, using a precautionary approach, to evaluate and respond appropriately to any areas where possible additional risk may be identified.
Issued by the Corporate Stakeholder Management Unit – Office of the Chief Executive, uMngeni-uThukela Water
