“EVERY drop counts. Count every drop. 50 Litres per person per day.”
This serious message from Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality with regard to the drought disaster it faces, had a concerned resident from Uitenhage worried.
“We adhere to this message. At our householding we practise every water saving measure we can.
“We harvest rainwater, catch up cold water before showering and use bathwater for toilets and the garden. But it seems not the case with the municipality although they state that water saving is a shared responsibility,” said Cyril Henstock, owner of properties in Uitenhage.
At the verge of two of his properties in Graaff Reinet Road, there are major water leaks that were respectively reported on 11th and 13th March 2019.
“I was informed by the operator at the 0800 20 5050 call centre that it could take between 5 to 7 days to repair. It is now (April 2nd) 22 days later and the water is still gushing from the leaks,” said Henstock.
On March 11th he reported the leak at 47 Graaff Reinet Road and again on the 13th when he also reported the leak at 63 Graaff Reinet Road.
“If the boundary wall is damaged owing to the excessive flow of water, I will hold the municipality responsible for costs incurred,” said Henstock.
According to him the media is flooded with municipal adverts to use water sparingly and to report leaks, but action is not taken timeously by the same municipality.
“To the contrary, when property owners face water leaks on the property side of the water meter, they receive excessive municipal bills resulting in sitting in endless queues for hours trying to rescue some of their losses,” said Henstock.
