The replacement of the entire water reticulation system in KwaDukuza’s Central Business District is almost complete with the change over to the new network expected to start towards the end of next month.
During the commissioning period, businesses and residences will be connected to the new system and the old pipes will be decommissioned.
Residents who have queries about their water supply connections are asked to telephone the manager of the Billing Department at the iLembe District Municipality. Residents have also been asked to be patient as initially there may be disruptions to the supply.
Municipal Manager Mike Newton said water connections would be made to all the properties in the municipality who are presently connected to the system by means of a water meter, and who are receiving accounts for consumption of water.
“These properties will be businesses and homes which have water meters and receive water bills. But there may be problems in instances where we do not know about a connection which is not on our database. During this project, we have discovered over 150 connections which are not on the Council’s system, which will have to be registered before they can be connected to the new system.”
“If a person receives a water bill then the municipality is aware of their water connection. However, if a person does not get a regular water account then we possibly do not have the resident or business on our database, and we ask that they come forward to register so we can ensure their water supply is functioning efficiently when the new system is completely commissioned,” said Newton.
People with illegal connections will not receive water after the change over as the old pipes will be disconnected. On top of this, business and residences with illegal connections face legal action after the project is complete.
Newton said there were likely to be water interruptions during the connection process but the community would be kept fully informed through notices on street poles and leaflet drops at most buildings in the town. “On behalf of the council, I wish to thank all the residents and businesses for their patience with us during this exercise. Once the new system is up and running correctly, there will be massive water savings based on the leaks experienced with the aged infrastructure which we found during this project.”
Newton said they had commissioned a five-year plan to reduce leaks across the District. “By 2015 our target is to reduce leakages from 48% to 25% which aligns itself with the target set by the Department of Water Affairs.
The public can assist in conserving water by reporting leaks and water bursts to the iLembe call centre on telephone 032 437 9379.
Meanwhile, personnel at the Billing Department at Ilembe House in Mahatma Gandhi St, KwaDukuza, are on standby to answer all queries regarding the water to supply the town.
Ilembe District Municipality Deputy-Director Operations & Management, Mr Notha Maphumulo, said so far 10.3km of pipes had been replaced and 18 773 man days worked.
A total of 16km of new piping are being installed in the project which will benefit the CBD and its neighbouring wards.
The new PVC system – with piping ranging in diameter from 50mm to 200mm – will provide KwaDukuza with a reliable supply of water in contrast to the current situation of leaking pipes and interruptions to water supplies.