RATEPAYER associations, tourism and business organisations have slammed the eThekwini Municipality over its plans to ration water over the next 12 months.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said residents and businesses should brace themselves for water restrictions which would be rolled out from Thursday October 10.
Xaba said this will be enforced through the installation of restrictors in water metres for consumers and pressure reduction in the reticulation network.
Xaba said that the move had been taken following an instruction from the Department of Water and Sanitation, and was at pains to stress that it was in the city’s best interest - an argument that has been rejected by business and ratepayers.
“It is vital that we explain that the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) limits the amount of raw water that uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) can abstract from the Mgeni Water Supply System. This is to enable continued water availability, including during periods of below-average rainfall. The risk of not enforcing the abstraction limit is that, should a drought occur, there would not be sufficient water in the system for uMngeni-uThukela Water to continue providing the eThekwini Municipality with a reliable water supply,” Xaba told the media.
He expressed concern over the high demand for water which he said far outstrips supply and pleaded with residential and business customers to reduce water usage.
High-water usage linked to rapid urbanisation, illegal connections, and aging infrastructure which causes water leaks have been cited as the reasons behind the move to control water usage.
Umngeni uThukela Water spokesperson Siyabonga Maphumulo said that the entity’s leadership would meet with the business bodies in order to provide an update on the latest developments.
“Yes, we will meet with both Durban Chamber of Commerce as well as Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Commerce to discuss the matter. We had no choice on the matter, it was a case of shape up or ship out. It is a necessary evil", said Maphumulo.
The Durban Chamber of Commerce would not comment on the matter, but indicated that they will be giving an update soon.
Umhlanga Tourism slammed the water curtailment, describing the news as shocking.
In addition, Chairperson Jeanne Sarno questioned the logic behind the move noting how businesses were penalised for something that is beyond their control.
“Why in today’s economy would anyone senselessly waste water, especially with a 40% potential electricity increase in the near future? No, we the consumers, especially the businesses know we cannot afford to lose money due to wastage so to be told that we will have water cuts is a slap in the face,” she said.
Sarno blamed the city for the lack of maintenance on an exhausted water system, broken taps and toilets in public ablutions citing the broken water pipes that are found all over the city.
“We are not the guilty ones to be penalised here”, she said.
Sarno said the tourism office had spent months of marketing and planning in a bid to entice visitors to come back to KZN.
“That we are ready for the 2024 summer season. We are still suffering from closed beaches due to ecoli. Again, due to a collapsing sewage system that has not been completely attended to. You want to know how hurtful this will be? This is going to be disastrous, another nail in the coffin,” she said.
Sarno called on the city to come up with another plan, warning that the tourism businesses cannot afford water restrictions.
eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) has also condemned the water curtailment programme, saying that the restrictive measure unfairly targeted paying customers, while ignoring the root cause of the water supply issue which is the staggering 50% loss of water during distribution from Uthukela Umngeni Water to household taps.
"The municipality's strategy is irrational and unjust. Instead of addressing the massive water losses, they're penalising responsible ratepayers. This approach will exacerbate the economic hardship faced by residents and businesses," said ERPM Chairperson Asad Gaffar.
The civic body also questioned how some of the public funds were spent, noting that residents were already paying the Water Infrastructure Surcharge Levy, which was included in monthly bills.
“We request immediate disclosure of total funds collected since the levy's inception, breakdown of expenditures to date. We urge the municipality to allocate these funds towards repairing the arterial distribution network from reservoirs to meters. This would significantly reduce water losses and ensure a more equitable distribution of resources," Gaffer said.
He called on the municipality to reconsider the water curtailment programme and to prioritise infrastructure repairs while providing regular progress updates, adding that they would continue to advocate for fair and responsible governance.
eThekwini Deputy City Manager of Trading Services, Ednic Msweli admitted that the timing of the rollout was unfortunate.
"I would have preferred to roll it out after the festive season, but unfortunately it is not our call", he said.
He expressed optimism about water bills reducing if the rationing was rolled out efficiently.