Water theft a major challenge for eThekwini

 Officials say they're working hard to deal with the theft of the already scarce resource.  

The issue came up during a meeting with members of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pinetown yesterday.  

Also read: Thousands of water restrictors installed in eThekwini

Head of Department, Ednick Msweli says water is lost through illegal connections where there is no meter, general wastage and leaks.

"The theft of water still remains a challenge for the city but we really appeal for assistance from the community. If you see people stealing water report it, if you see illegal connections report them and we will be there to deal with those. 

"Of course we also lose water through leaks as well when the system fails. The biggest part of it is lost through leaks and system failures which talks to the age of our system. It means our system is old, it is failing a lot through leaks, but we are doing our best to repair them as fast as we can," he said.

(File photo: Getty Images)