NUMEROUS people have reported taxis being washed alongside the R618 between Mtubatuba and St Lucia.
Only on closer inspection is the source of the ‘car wash’ water, a municipal water inspection hole, identified.
Water supply to St Lucia, via municipal pipelines, is a constant problem for St Lucia residents. Badly-maintained pipes rupture on a regular basis, leaving ratepayers with dry taps for hours at a time, without forewarning.
And, existing reservoirs and pipelines are expected to serve an ever-growing public between Mtubatuba and St Lucia, crippling the system with an unsustainable demand.
Apart from car washers’ illegal use of municipal water adding further, unnecessary demand to an already overused system, the cover of the inspection hole has been removed, leaving the hole permanently open.
Health and safety concerns abound as any creature could easily end up in the hole, its related decomposing matter in the potable water supply, endangering the health of every resident and visitor brushing their teeth, showering or daring to drink the tap water.
uMkhanyakude District Municipality has been notified of the illegal car wash, but this is one of a long list of issues requiring attention.
