Video by Sihle Mavuso
Eshowe – Despite the good rains that the country has received over the past few years, the demand for water in eThekwini (Durban), Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay, the most populated areas in KwaZulu-Natal, is threatening to outstrip supply.
This is as the demand for clean water grows with rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
However, it’s not doom and gloom as the Department of Water and Sanitation has lined up several water projects to meet the demand.
This is contained in a presentation on the state of water in KwaZulu-Natal by Ashley Starkey, the head of the department in the province.
According to Starkey, the province has 19 state-owned dams and most of them are almost full.
But he said one dam that is worrisome is Hazelmere dam in Durban, which is managed by the Umgeni Water board.
To counter the challenge facing the dam, its walls are being extended so that it can hold more water.
Starkey said two districts in the province, Zululand and Umkhanyakude, have water challenges.
That is because they have fewer rivers and dams. Most of the dams are concentrated in the south of the province.
Coming to eThekwini, he said the city of 4 million people was facing water challenges.
“eThekwini is running out of water, the demand is quite high... eThekwini had already put (in place) the aqueduct (project),” Starkey said.
To ensure that the city doesn’t run out of water, the R30 billion Umkomazi Water Project was under way and would be completed in a few years’ time, he said.
The water challenges of Pietermaritzburg stem from the fact that the Umgeni water system is strained. The system includes dams like Nagle, Midmar and Inanda.
Starkey said due to rapid industrialisation, Richards Bay was also facing challenges. To provide a solution, the Goedertrouw Dam Project at Eshowe is being enlarged.
Current Affairs