Chatsworth and Shallcross residents face prolonged water outages

RESIDENTS of Chatsworth and Shallcross are enduring weeks-long water outages despite living near reservoirs, with elderly citizens particularly affected. As municipal water tankers fail to reach all areas, community members stockpile water while facing unexplained high bills.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

Officials cite infrastructure challenges and illegal connections, promising relief through the R1.2 billion Southern Aqueduct project due for completion next year.

At a recent eThekwini Municipality Exco meeting, the city said it had made progress on key infrastructure projects, including the Southern Aqueduct.

“The R1.2 billion bulk water pipeline is scheduled for completion next year. Overall, the project is over 40% complete and is expected to bring additional capacity to meet the growing demand and provide much-needed relief to communities in the south of the city,” said the municpality in a statement.

DA councillor Bob Daniel Naidoo said the Chatsworth 4 reservoir, in Moorton, had never-ending issues.

“This reservoir provides water to Moorton but we have multiple informal settlements like Lusaka and Bottle Brush, feeding off the supply. We also face illegal connections in the informal settlements.

“We have unscrupulous people stealing water. All of this impacts the residents’ infrastructure. Presently, there are about 13 leaks on roads in this suburb which have not been fixed,” said Naidoo.

Mannie Varden, a community activist, said that the Chatsworth 4 Reservoir was built for Moorton, parts of Crossmoor, Montford, Westcliff and Arena Park.