Members of the Chatsworth community and surrounding areas in KwaZulu Natal who rely on the Chatsworth Reservoir 4 are facing delays in the restoration of water supply after an unfortunate incident on Monday, May 5.
The eThekwini Municipality reported that the city’s water distribution officer was threatened and prevented by a group of community members from entering the reservoir to close the valves – a vital step required to allow the system to refill.
Contemporarily, some of the affected areas include Arena Park, Croftdene, Bottle Informal Settlement, Crossmoor, Montford, Moorton, Woodhurst, Risecliff, Welbedacht East, Welbedacht West, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 9, and Unit 11.
The municipality explained in detail that “the prevented process is done as part of the rationing initiative which was communicated to all affected communities including the scheduled for when water will be closed and opened.”
“Due to major water supply constraints, the city implemented rationing on its water networks in the central and south regions. This is being done to allow water to fill up at reservoirs to be distributed equally to affected communities”.
“As a result of this incident, the reservoir currently does not have sufficient water to supply all communities dependent on it. Water that that is coming through the reservoir gets depleted quickly and is therefore not reaching all the intended communities”, the municipality added.
The municipality further stated that without sufficient filling, the reservoir’s water supply suffers fast consumption, leaving multiple communities without vital access to potable water.
Meanwhile, security measures are being escalated to protect municipal employees and prevent further delays. The City has assured residents that work will resume as soon as it is safe for staff. However, officials warned that recovery could take more than 48 hours, during which water access will remain critically limited.
The municipality has pleaded with residents to remain calm and avoid interfering with infrastructure, as such actions hinder essential service delivery.
