Three KZN municipalities prepare for water curtailments in September
KwaZulu-Natal municipalities are preparing for water curtailments starting September 1.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal say they are putting measures in place to manage the impact of water curtailments that will be reintroduced from September 1.
The curtailments, announced by uMngeni-uThukela Water earlier this week, will affect the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Msunduzi Local Municipality, and the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, all supplied from the uMngeni River system.
UMngeni-uThukela Water said the curtailments are necessary to comply with abstraction licence conditions issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
“These conditions require that uMngeni-uThukela Water must not go above the set limits when abstracting water from dams. This is to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the system and ensure water availability in times of low or no rainfall,” the utility said. The restrictions were first introduced in 2024 but were temporarily lifted following strong summer rainfall and overflowing dams.
“Thus far, uMngeni-uThukela Water has been supplying water that exceeds the contracted volumes to the three affected municipalities. While dam levels within the uMngeni system are currently stable, it is critical to implement prudent water management measures in anticipation of possible future drought conditions,” read the statement from uMngeni-uThukela Water.
Responding to questions on how it intends to deal with the curtailments, Msunduzi Municipality issued a public statement yesterday warning that there would be “a reduction in the volume of water received by the municipality.”
To manage this, the municipality said it would implement “pressure reduction initiatives across the network, restrictions at reservoir outlets, meter flow control measures, and meter restrictions and disconnections for illegal connections or tampering.”
The municipality acknowledged the likelihood of water supply disruptions. “Residents may experience low water pressure in some areas and occasional interruptions in water supply.”
It also called on the public to play their part. “All consumers are urged to assist in managing water supply by reducing daily water consumption and repairing internal leaks,” the statement read. Businesses were urged to reduce the volume stored in tanks, while residents were encouraged to report leaks, bursts, illegal connections, tampering, and vandalism to the municipal call centre.
Umgungundlovu District Municipality in the KZN Midlands said it was preparing for minimal disruption, citing its experience from previous rounds of restrictions.
Municipal spokesperson Brian Zuma said: “Our experience from the last curtailment exercise was that there was a minimal effect on water supply. The pressure may have lessened in some areas, but supply remained consistent. As a result, we never had any complaints that were related to it, so we are positive of the same outcome this time around.”
According to the district’s latest water supply curtailment status report, areas identified for reductions include parts of Umkhambathini, Richmond, Umshwathi, and uMngeni local municipalities.
Measures include throttling valves, intermittent supply where water will be shut off at night and reopened in the morning, and proactive maintenance of pressure-reducing valves and district metering areas.
The report further notes that interventions, including asbestos pipe replacements, the installation of smart meters in Howick, and rapid leak repairs, have already contributed to reducing water losses from 36.1% in 2023/24 to 27.6% in 2024/25.