It has been more than a month now that"water outages" have plagued Port Edward and surrounding areas, affecting as many as 28 000 homes and more than 175 000 people, as well as luxury tourism establishments, holiday homes and B&Bs,Armscor, the national procurement agency for the Department of Defence, was called on this week to help solve a water crisis unfolding on the lower South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
The South Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned about the long-term impact on the area, saying that many tourists would not revisit after having bad experiences in the area. Direct losses have also been incurred in the construction industry with new developments grinding to a halt.In outlying rural communities, people who only started getting piped water a few years ago, have resorted to collecting water from nearby streams and rivers, some of which are polluted and a health risk.
Naidoo confirmed that irregular expenditure of R243 million had already occurred as a result of normal procurement processes having been by-passed in dire situations. He said emergency provisions of the Public Finance Management Act would again be used to repair the Umtamvuna pump station. He said the repairs were scheduled to take place this weekend.
On Monday drilling operations had reached a depth of 240 metres, but no groundwater reserves had been struck. Calling off the operation, a disappointed Powell said an alternative site would have to be found.The borehole drilling venture is supported by local businesses, including CO Valves & Piping, a Kokstad-based drilling company, and Port Edward Caltex Garage.
GroundUp_News What’s no water just for a silly month or two Vryheid didn’t have water for close to two years