Durban - Questions have been raised over the release of millions of litres of water from Hazelmere Dam this week.
Blame is being laid on the stalled dam wall extension project.
Umgeni Water began releasing water from the dam when it reached a capacity of 80% on Sunday night.
The bulk water supplier said that in terms of operating rules and safety requirements, the level of Hazelmere Dam should not exceed 53%.
The extension project, which began in 2015 and was expected to be completed by last year, was to raise the dam wall by seven metres, increasing the capacity of the dam from 23.9 million cubic metres to 43.7 million cubic metres.
The DA’s Heinz de Boer said yesterday that due to a dispute regarding the contractors, the project had yet to be completed.
Th e cost of the project has also escalated sharply from R110 million to R530m, according to a media report last month.
The project falls under the control of the Department of Water and Sanitation which failed to respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Attempts were also made to get comment from the department in November regarding the incomplete project, but it did not respond.
Umgeni Water said it could not comment on whether the stalling of the project had led to the release of the water. However, a conservationist and a representative of the SA Water Caucus said they believed the incomplete project had led to the release of the water.
Eric Bell, a conservationist, said it was frustrating that millions of cubic litres of water were being wasted while areas such as Ballito and Salt Rock had regular water restrictions.
Bell said due to the project not being completed, the authorities could not allow the water level to get too high.
"T he new section, which diverts water, has not been tested and it might fail,” he said.
He said water needed to be released to prevent it from reaching the new section of the dam wall.
“If the dam level is reduced to 53% and 20% is made up of silt at the bottom of the dam, that only leaves us with 33% of water,” added Bell.
Bryan Ashe, from the KZN Water Caucus, said that for safety reasons, if the project was not complete then Umgeni Water would have to keep the dam at a low level.
Ashe said the Department of Water and Sanitation should have rather put the money into implementing good demand management in high-income areas like Ballito and the coastal areas where there were high residency levels and tourists.
Ashe said he was concerned that there had been an extreme cost overrun for the project. He said that when questions were raised about the costs, it was said that the government would find the money.
De Boer, the DA KZN spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, said according to his understanding the dam wall project was 95% complete.
“Work will continue but there is a dispute between the contractors,” he said.
De Boer said it was estimated that a further R50m-R100m was needed to complete the project.
“The unfortunate reality is that they have to release water, which is very sad because water is extremely precious.”
He said the water could not be allowed to reach the new incomplete extension. From an economic development perspective, De Boer said it was a very serious challenge because Hazelmere Dam fed the northern areas, including the airport and planned extensions near the airport.
“If there is a scarcity of water or not enough water supply, then that puts constraints on construction,” he said.
Residents living on the Umdloti River said the release of the water had also affected them. Sandile Mthembu, a fisherman from Mahlabathini, said they were unable to cross the river.
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