Durban has been plunged into a water crisis after a major pipeline leak caused a critical drop in water reservoir levels, leaving thousands of residents without access to clean water.

The City of Durban confirmed today that the reservoirs at the Mount Moriah reservoirs are now empty, affecting multiple communities across several western suburbs. According to the City's Water Operations teams, a major leak was discovered on the inlet pipeline supplying the reservoirs.

The leak has reduced reservoir levels significantly, leaving the reservoirs empty and affecting water supply to all downstream areas. Repair crews were mobilised early this morning and are already on site. However, due to the complexity of the repair, officials say it is too early to provide an estimated completion time.

Residents in the following areas are affected:

  • Pinetown CBD
  • Parts of New Germany
  • New Germany Industrial Area
  • Ashley
  • Caversham
  • Westmead Industrial Area
  • Cowie's Hill
  • Stapleton Road
  • Hocking Place
  • Reservoir Hills
  • Affected roads include:
  • Annet Drive
  • Dunkeld Road
  • Nugget Road
  • Winchester Drive
  • St Pauls Avenue
  • Lyttelton Avenue
  • Croft Crescent
  • Shannon Drive
  • Methven Reservoir

Water supply has also been disrupted in:

  • Marlowe Avenue
  • Wellington Road
  • Fyfe Avenue
  • Sunnybrae Drive
  • Mountain Ridge Reservoir

Residents in the following areas may experience outages:

  • Woodside
  • Chiltern Hills
  • Grayleigh
  • Stafford Road
  • Tshelimnyama 1 Reservoir
  • The outage extends to:
  • Marianhill
  • Marian Heights
  • Nagina Phases 1 and 2
  • Parts of Mpola
  • Madiba Valley
  • Parts of Nsikwakazi
  • Dambuza
  • Sithunda Road
  • Thornwood

'We are working tirelessly to restore water supply as soon as possible, but we urge residents to use water sparingly and prepare for possible extended interruptions,' said a City of Durban spokesperson.

The City says the location of the damaged pipeline makes repairs particularly challenging, meaning there is currently no estimated time for water supply to be restored. Residents in affected areas are encouraged to use water sparingly if they still have supply and to prepare for possible extended interruptions while repairs continue.

Further updates are expected as repair teams assess the damage and progress with the restoration work.

Key Facts

  • Multiple communities across several western Durban suburbs are affected by the water crisis.
  • The Mount Moriah reservoirs are now empty.
  • A major leak was discovered on the inlet pipeline supplying the reservoirs.
  • Repair crews are working to fix the damaged pipeline.
  • Affected areas include Pinetown CBD, parts of New Germany, and several residential areas.
  • Water supply has been disrupted in multiple suburbs, including Marlowe Avenue and Wellington Road.