Durban councillor seeks real-time public alerts as Wiggins main leak leaves suburbs without water

Repairs to a high-pressure supply main from the Wiggins Treatment Works have left several Durban suburbs without water, and an eThekwini councillor has moved for an online system to give residents real-time alerts on outages and repairs.

What happened and where

The municipality said a technical team was carrying out emergency repairs on a 750mm-diameter steel pipe from the Wiggins Treatment Works high-pressure supply main after a leak. During repairs, the team discovered additional leaks that required urgent attention.

These repair and isolation measures resulted in water supply interruptions to reservoirs serving South Ridge, Cato Manor and Ridge View. The municipality also said that work would continue on a remaining major leak and that repairs were expected to be completed late on Thursday. Repairs to two of the newly discovered leaks were described as expected to be completed soon.

Earlier related outages

On Monday, the municipality isolated the affected main after two burst pipes on the Wiggins main pipeline along Vusi Mzimela Road and another in Seaview. That isolation caused water supply interruptions to Woodlands, Bluff, Lamontville and Mobeni.

Councillor’s proposal for real-time public alerts

eThekwini Councillor Samier Singh tabled a motion at July’s council meeting calling for an investigation into a public service delivery dashboard. Singh said residents often struggle to obtain accurate, real-time information on water outages, electricity faults and repair progress, and that the lack of accessible information undermines transparency and public confidence in service delivery.

His motion asks the eThekwini Executive Committee (Exco) to report back to council on the feasibility of developing and implementing an online dashboard that would:

• Display ward-by-ward water outages, electricity faults and planned maintenance;
• Include estimated repair turnaround times;
• Set out the financial, technical and operational implications, implementation timelines and recommendations for rollout.

Municipality response and operational measures

The municipality said reservoir storage levels and water demand are being closely monitored while repairs continue. It warned that, to preserve available storage and support system recovery once repairs are completed, water supply outlets may be temporarily shut. The municipality added that, depending on reservoir storage volumes, water may be supplied during peak demand periods.

Pressure on councillors

The story notes that many councillors are overwhelmed by the number of daily calls from residents about water supply to their taps, a factor cited by Singh when arguing for better public information tools.

Looking ahead

The Exco was asked to investigate the dashboard’s feasibility and return a report to council detailing costs, technical requirements, operational implications, timelines and recommendations. The municipality continues repair work on the Wiggins high-pressure supply main.