Africa-Press – South-Africa. We are thirsty. Our thirst will only be quenched once one of us dies.”
This was the emotional plea of resident Dinah Perumal, who told of the dire situation faced by Tongaat residents.
Perumal said the recent deadly floods contributed more to the hardship.
Residents also claimed they had been without water weeks before the floods.
“Before the floods, we had two Jojo tanks supplying a block of housing units in Tongaat. When the floods hit Tongaat, there was an overflow of sewage and other debris running into their homes.
“Toilets were flooded with sewer waste. The water was shoulder high. The two Jojo tanks were not sufficient for everyone here. Since the floods, the Jojo tanks have run dry. It is up to residents to run behind water trucks to plead for water,” said Perumal.
Umgeni water working hard to supply water to eThekwini
Some residents were seen collecting water from a nearby stream to clean their homes. Outside the housing units, broken and smelly furniture, appliances, clothes, and other belongings lay strewn on the street.
Young and old residents ran to a nearby temple carrying buckets and other containers to fetch water. Some returned empty-handed after they were told water could not be poured into plastic containers but in buckets.
Uma Singh, 70, carried two five-litre water containers to her home. She said:
Singh continued: “For bathing, we go to the hall and collect water. I don’t trust that the water supplied at the temple is clean for consumption. We are forgotten as Tongaat residents. We need help. The provincial government must intervene and bring us clean water.”
Siva Pillay claimed he had not seen a water tanker in Tongaat since last week’s floods.
“I will be lying to you if I say I had seen a government water truck here. We are ignored and are on our own. We must make plans to fetch water,” he said.
Another resident, Jeffrey Govender, added the most affected were the elderly who lived alone.
“I reside alone and don’t have a child that will go and look for water. I have to follow people carrying containers wherever they are going.
“We need to join hands as residents, especially those with deep pockets, and assist each other. Our taps have run dry. There is no water at all. I have heard that water tanker only drives around Tongaat and don’t stop for people to collect water.
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“Someone from the government must come down here and document our plight. We are on our knees pleading for water,” said Govender.
Harold Maistry, along with local business, have joined hands to supply residents with meals and water. Maistry and his team are based at a local temple where people queue for water.
He advised residents to boil their water before consumption.
“We are supplying over 300 000 litres of water per day. We are also assisting those hard-hit with food hampers. This is a private initiative. We have sponsors from other provinces.
“The eThekwini Municipality is supplying water tankers. We are only augmenting them with our initiative. We are trying our best to help our residents,” Maistry said.
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