Durban - A burst pipe has seen some areas of Pietermaritzburg experiencing low water supply, while some parts of the CBD, including the section in which the city hall is located, had to close early because there was simply no water.
Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize confirmed there had been water-supply problems in some parts of the KwaZulu-Natal capital city this week.
“The city experienced a burst water pipe at the Chatterton circle, affecting the major feeder of the CBD areas on Sunday night. The teams swiftly attended to the repairs, and water supply was restored in the early hours of Monday,” she said on Thursday.
The spokesperson indicated that, despite the efforts of the municipality, some parts of the CBD were reportedly still struggling with prolonged low water pressure, and others a supply outage. The setback has prompted the municipality to work around the clock to locate the burst pipe.
“Once it has been located, appropriate repairs will be carried out immediately. Specialised leak detection equipment is being utilised, and members of the public are assured that teams are hard at work and will get to the bottom of this challenge,” Mkhize continued.
The spokesperson said the municipality leadership regretted the difficulties that the affected residents and businesses had been forced to deal with owing to the water-supply problems.
“The city would like to apologise for the inconvenience that this challenge has caused and appeals for patience during this time,” Mkhize concluded.
In recent times, the municipality has been heavily criticised by residents owing to the water and power supply problems, with complaints that in most instances the city was not responding swiftly enough.