The root cause of water supply disruptions in eThekwini is the demand for treated water, exceeds the available.
This emerged at an urgent meeting with the eThekwini Municipal officials on Monday, the Minister of Water and Sanitation – Pemmy Majodina and Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, Mayor of eThekwini Municipality – Cyril Xaba; eThekwini’s Trading Services Committee Chairperson Mdu Nkosi; the uMngeni uThukela Water Board (UUW) Chairperson – Advocate Vusi Khuzwayo.
The meeting concluded the demand for water in eThekwini has grown rapidly, largely due to population growth, and partly due to leaks in the Municipality’s water distribution systems.
The City’s Gugu Sisilana said, as a result, reservoirs become depleted, because water is drawn out faster.
High-lying areas and those far from reservoirs have felt the pinch, because the water levels drop to a level where they are insufficient to provide the pressure required to get water to the high-lying and far-away areas.
She said in addition, the UMngeni-uThukela Water Board has been exceeding the abstraction limit imposed by the Department, and consequently the Department instructed UUW to curtail its abstraction in October 2024.
“During the December holidays, when demand for water peaked in eThekwini, DWS temporarily lifted this curtailment directive, but it was reinstated again in mid-January 2025.”
She also said various projects are underway to provide relief such as the raising of the Hazelmere Dam, the construction of a dam and a 100 million megalitres treatment plant on the Lower uMkhomazi River.
The Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is at an advanced stage of raising R28 billion for the construction of a large new dam and transfer tunnel on the upper uMkhomazi River which is part of the uMkhomazi Water Project.