Durban – Engineers and maintenance staff at Umgeni Water have been working around the clock to fix a valve pump station in Umgeni Water’s Durban Heights Water Treatment Works which has resulted in the taps running dry in thousands of home in the western suburbs.
Homes in Pinetown, New Germany and parts of Westville have been without water since Thursday after the water stopped being pumped into the Mount Moriah Reservoir – which feeds those areas – due to the valve problem.
Shami Harrichunder, the spokesman for Umgeni Water said the valve at the pump station – which serves the purpose similar to that of a non-return vale – has remained in a locked position.
“Due to this, Umgeni Water was not able to pump adequate water to the Mount Moriah Reservoir within eThekwini. The Mount Moriah Reservoir has been depleting rapidly because Umgeni Water has not been able to supply the required amount of potable water to it,” Harrichunder said.
“As a result, Pinetown, New Germany and parts of Westville have been without water since Thursday. Two small pumps at Durban Heights Water Treatment Works are feeding the Mount Moriah Reservoir, but the small amounts of water entering the reservoir is not sufficient to fill it,” he said.
Harrichunder said that the repair work was expected to be completed by 2pm on Friday after which the system will be recharged.
“It must be noted that it takes about two hours for the system to be fully recharged. Once this occurs, water supply will resume as per normal. Umgeni Water wishes to apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused because of the interruption in water supply,” he said.
IOL
Credit IOL