Drought continues to force water restrictions in KZN municipalities

But the municipality says it will only confirm dates and times later this week. uMDM's Mayor Yusuf Bhamjee says they are forewarning businesses and residents of the proposed water restrictions in the area.  

"These restrictions are coming and we need to be prudent about it. When we impose these restrictions we don't want it to come as a shock," he said.

KZN continues to see little or no rain. This puts more strain on dams. The district leaders across the province continue to spread the message of saving water. Bhamjee says residents must use water sparingly and says the municipality's management is being pro-active in trying to deal with drought.

"We are hoping that mother nature will be kind too and give us plenty of rain, but if you are just going to wait for the unpredictable and nothing happens, then people will be unhappy. That is why we are introducing adaptation measures," he says.

Bhamjee is also appealing to members of the public to adhere to water restrictions when it is implemented and to report leaks.

Most parts of Northern KZN have been declared disaster areas - with some dams running dry at the Zululand, uThukela, Sisonke, Harry Gwala and uMkhanyakude District Municipalities.  

Zululand's Johan de Klerk says there has been no change in their district. He says the situation is worsening.

"The five towns under the district are still experiencing a drop in water levels, however we do have boreholes and water tankers but it's an expensive process and we can't reach everyone as Zululand is huge. We have had to stop some of our projects to use that money to drill more boreholes," he said.

According to de Klerk, they have approached the government and the private sector for assistance. He also pleaded with those fortunate enough to still have water, to use it sparingly.

Ugu District Municipality also implemented water-shedding during the festive season. The municipality's France Dlamini says communities should not panic. He has urged people to continue saving water.

Despite the recent rains, water officials say the situation is far from improving.

Areas that have had water restrictions thus far include - Ugu, eThekwini Municipality, iLembe, uThungungulu, Sisonke, Amajuba, Harry Gwala and uThukela district municipalities.

Residents can report leaks in UMgungundlovu Municipality by calling 0800-864-911 toll-free.

Anelisa Kubheka from ECR Newswatch is visiting towns hardest hit by the drought within the Umkhanyakude and Zululand districts. Tune into East Coast Radio Newswatch from tomorrow and get more stories on social media pages or via ecr.co.za.

(File photo: AFP)