ETHEKWINI Municipality is facing mounting backlash from Queensburgh residents after it approved the development of dozens of housing units in the suburb which has been struggling with water shortages since January.
The decision, which was passed two months ago, has ignited frustration among residents who say the town’s current system can barely support existing demand. Officials previously admitted that it might take at least two years to upgrade the aging water system — but insist the developer will be responsible for providing water and sewerage infrastructure for the new homes.
“The developer is responsible for all infrastructure within the boundaries of the site. The developer is at his own cost upgrading the water pipes in the vicinity,” said Gugu Sisilana, the municipal spokesperson.
Although members of the community railed against the project and 118 objections were lodged, the Council acknowledged that it had approved the building of 160 residential dwelling units in Main Road. Sisilana said that, “The objections lodged were taken into consideration. However, Metro Water has supported the application, subject to the property owner/developer upgrading the water pipes in the vicinity. The developer has agreed to this condition at his own cost,”
According to official documents the developer had applied for the right to buy two plots of land which would be converted into a single erf and then rezoned from Special Residential 1 to Intermediate Residential 6 and used for the construction project. “The rezoning and consolidation application was considered and approved by the Municipal Planning Tribunal on February 7,” said Sisilana.
Queensburgh has been experiencing water supply issues since last year, but in January it took a turn for the worse with many saying that they had experienced at least 65 days without water. Residents say the water supply is sporadic at best and when it is available, they have to deal with low pressure, limited supply and open their taps in the early hours of the morning to get a few drops.
The municipality has cited a combination of outdated infrastructure and increased demand as key factors behind the strain. In February the municipality released a statement in which it tried to explain the reasons behind the situation and said that it “understands the inconvenience” and that restoring the water supply remained a priority.
Mario Luis is one of the many affected residents who lodged an objection. He said the community had expected the council to engage them on the issue but that never happened. He said earlier this week they spotted people clearing the land earmarked for the development and only afterwards received notification that their objection had been unsuccessful. “My biggest fear is come September, October this year when we’ve hopefully had a bit of normalcy over winter, (that) the next summer it's going to be worse.”
The municipality has indicated that the community still has a chance to lodge an appeal against their decision to give the developer approval to construct the 160 residential units. The closing date is April 29 and the appeal fee is R5561. Only persons who lodged an objection against the original application can lodge a subsequent appeal,” Sisilana said.
However, Luis says that's a huge amount for any individual.
Rose Cortes from the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement said the municipality had a duty to respond to every objection and tell residents why they are being ignored. “That community is currently at the mercy of a reservoir that is incapable of supporting the immediate needs of the people there and a development of this nature in that space is tone deaf.
"And before it even goes to a R5,000 appeal, those objections need to be answered. Secondly, what exactly is the plan, because Firwood Reservoir is currently shedding every single day and there are streets that go without water on a daily basis, sometimes for extended periods at a time,” said Cortes.
Councillor Chris van den Berg said that the head of Water Ednick Msweli has promised to meet with all those affected on Wednesday. He said that the building plans had not yet been approved and that the developer still needed the approval of KZN's heritage council, Amafa, because a few of the buildings on the land fell under its protection. He said the extra housing units would put further strain on the water system.
"If this process is going to take them to a point whereby the city then can actually guarantee people water, then it's not really going to be an issue. Building 160 units will probably take more than two years. But all of these things are unknown at this stage," he said.
In the meantime frustration with the water situation continues exacerbated by the infrequent arrival of municipal water tankers.