It would take at least until 2032 before a R23-billion eThekwini water project is completed, according to the city's head of water and sanitation.

Consistent and deadly floods, coupled with poor maintenance of infrastructure, have worsened the eThekwini municipality's ability to provide water to its residents, city officials said during a media briefing on Thursday.

On Thursday, city manager Musa Mbhele said the last round of heavy rains between 13 and 16 January resulted in infrastructure damage amounting to R1.4-billion and claimed at least nine lives.  

Mbhele said: "Extensive structural damage occurred across multiple sectors, comprising residential structures, community halls, roads, stormwater infrastructure, and public health facilities."

While several short-to-medium interventions were being implemented and funding was requested from National Treasury, Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda specified that the "the lasting solution to water challenges in the city will be the construction and commissioning of the Upper uMkhomazi Dam."

The dam, which will be built as part of the R32-billion uMkhomazi Water Project (uMWP), is being spearheaded by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

According to the department: "Once complete, the uMkhomazi water transfer scheme will be the largest water transfer scheme in South Africa, comparable to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in terms of water volume and tunnel lengths and diameters".

At least eight years to complete

According to a presentation to Parliament last year, feasibility studies on the uMWP commenced in 2009 and were finalised in 2014.

However, it appears that the project was stalled until it was resuscitated by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu last year.

Despite efforts by Mchunu, the wait still appears to be long for thousands of eThekwini residents who have been experiencing worsening water supply with every flood season since at least 2011.

Ednick Msweli, eThekwini’s head of water and sanitation, told News24 that he did not anticipate that the uMWP would be completed in less than eight years.

"Even if the project was to kick off today [Thursday], it would not take less than eight years before it delivered water. It’s quite a lengthy process. Design and construction plans are still outstanding. A lot of work needs to be done before dam and waterworks construction," Msweli said.

Patience running out

This week saw sporadic protests in various parts of the city as angry residents took to the streets to raise their ire over poor water supply.

Don Perumal from Tongaat, north of Durban, told News24 that his community did not have water for over a week.

"There's a little bit of water coming out of our taps now, but there are many people who still don’t have. The municipality says that water will be restored fully before the end of the week but they have made such promises before and didn't keep their word, so we will have to wait and see," he said.

Kogie Brown from Verulam said their water woes pre-dates the latest round of floods.

"We are at our wits' because we have been without water since October. What's sad is that no one is giving us answers," she said.

As of Thursday, thousands of residents in areas such as KwaMakhutha, Adams Mission and Athlone Park in the south as well as KwaMashu, Phoenix and Mount Edgecombe in the north were without water.

Mayor Kaunda said water tankers were being deployed to areas experiencing water shortages.

He also said short-to-medium solutions were being implemented.

Solutions include fixing a 24km aqueduct that was decommissioned after it had deteriorated to the point of being prone to major leaks in the southern part of the city.

The project is set cost R1.2-billion.

"A detailed project plan has been developed to implement this project within a period of 12 months once all supply chain processes have been finalised. We have asked the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer to monitor this process closely so that by at least March this year, an appointed contractor must be on site," Kaunda said.

He said they would also pump R35-million into upgrading a pump station that had reached its sell-by date and operating at 50% of its capacity at Ntuzuma.

With eThekwini reportedly losing 56% of its clean water due to leaks, Kaunda promised that a process to detect leaks would also get under way in a bid to assist communities currently without water.

He added that they would visit affected areas on Saturday to share their plans.

In the meantime, the director-general in the Department of Water and Sanitation, Dr Sean Philips, scheduled a visit to eThekwini on Friday over the city's water woes.

"This follows a directive by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu, that the eThekwini Metro, working with uMngeni-uThukela Water, should urgently come up with long lasting interventions in response to ongoing water and sanitation services in the Municipality," the department said in a statement.

Philips was expected to meet with officials from the eThekwini municipality and uMmgeni-uThukela Water, and deliver a report to the media thereafter.