Umgeni Water says residents of areas in and around Durban will be without water for the next five weeks.

A shaft pump that supplies raw water to the Durban Heights water treatment plant is not working.

Umgeni Water spokesperson Shami Harichunder says the affected areas include Umlazi, Phoenix, Sunningdale, Durban north and parts of Verulam and Ntuzuma.

“A shaft pump that supplies raw water to the Durban heights water treatment plant that had malfunctioned presently is not working. It means that as a result of this, there’s now a shortage of drinking water that is being produced by the Durban heights water treatment plant. The Durban heights water treatment plant supplies the water needs of much of the Durban region, the north, the south and central. Presently, a deficit of 15 million litres of drinking water in about nine areas affected and the worst area is Umlazi and then in the north, Phoenix has been affected so as Sunningdale, Durban north, and parts of Verulam and parts of Ntuzuma,” says Harichunder.

Harichunder is appealing to residents to be patient and to access water through water tankers in the affected areas.

“Umgeni water appointed a contractor to repair and refurbish the pump that collapsed. The only estimate at this stage is that it will take about five weeks for the work to be completed. In the meantime, what we are doing we are appealing to consumers to please bear with us as this is a situation that is not predicted.”

Maintenance in Johannesburg 

In Gauteng, some parts of Johannesburg have been with little or no water supply since Monday due to infrastructure maintenance.

Giving an update earlier, Rand Water said its maintenance work on its pipes, may be completed on Wednesday well ahead of schedule.

The bulk water supplier says valves have been successfully installed.

Rand Water Spokesperson Eddie Singo says welders were working on sealing the pipes overnight.

Rand Water gives update on infrastructure maintenance: 

-Additional reporting by Horisani Sithole