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Thousands lost in water leaks

CONCERNS have been raised about a burst water pipe in Edendale which wastes water worth an estimated R10 000 every day.

Concerned resident Nicky Erasmus, who drives past it on her way to work every day, said that the burst pipe has been spraying water since October 23.

She said she tried reporting the leaking pipe to the municipality but the phone went unanswered.

“I googled ‘report water leaking in Pietermaritzburg’ and a Msunduzi number came up but no one answered the phone,” she said.

“One of my lecturers, who specialises in water engineering, estimated the cost of this water loss to ... about R10 000 per day; it’s really bad.

“When I went to take photographs of the leak, which is by a river, I was absolutely shocked by the disgusting litter in this little spruit.”

Erasmus urged the municipality to clean the area up and to fix the pipe as soon as possible as it is wasting a lot of money.

“Something needs to be done, action needs to be taken. R10 000 a day is a lot of money being wasted; do you know how many orphans that money would feed?” asked Erasmus.

Msunduzi Municipality’s acting spokesperson Ntobeko Ngcobo said the matter has been escalated to the Msunduzi Water and Sanitation Unit, adding that an investigation will be conducted as soon as possible to address the issue of the burst pipe.

Ngcobo, who thanked the resident for bringing the matter to their attention, said the issue of litter has been reported to the relevant officials.

“Littering is a serious challenge which takes place in most areas and public spaces.

“Once cleaned, these areas become polluted again within days. We have a cleaning programme that focuses on cleaning these illegal dumping areas, however, we urge the members of the community to avoid littering and to not dispose of waste in the incorrect manner,” said Ngcobo.

Residents are urged to report any Msunduzi municipal problems to the City’s call centre at 080 000 1868.

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