Durban — Community leaders in Verulam, north of Durban, have pinned the death of a resident on the water crises facing the northern parts of the eThekwini Municipality.
Some parts of the northern area of eThekwini have not had a piped water supply for more than 250 days. Residents rely on purchasing water from shops and trucks carrying water in tanks.
On Sunday morning, 53-year-old Junaid Anand Naidoo, who is also a father of three, suffered a heart attack and died while attempting to carry a bucket of water from a borehole situated at Trenance Park Primary School. Naidoo was laid to rest on Sunday.
His family said he was lifting a heavy, water-laden drum from the borehole. They said Naidoo and a relative went to the borehole at 6am. Once the buckets were filled he tried to pick one up and suffered a heart attack.
Verulam Water Crisis Committee spokesperson Roshan Lil-Ruthan attributed the death to the dire water situation. Lil-Ruthan expressed his disappointment and deep concern regarding the recent water crisis during the Easter long weekend.
“This loss of life is entirely on the hands of the municipality and the government, it is unforgivable. The actions, or rather inactions, of the authorities must be strongly condemned. Despite our efforts to impress upon the eThekwini Water Services management the significance of major faith-based activities and celebrations taking place, it is disheartening to witness their blatant disregard for these religious beliefs,” Lil-Ruthan said.
Naidoo left three children, Hajra Naidoo, 20, Mohammed Shaahid Bayat, 15, Simrah Naidoo, 11, and his wife Rizwana Naidoo.
Rizwana described her husband as a jovial and cheerful person who was well-known in the neighbourhood.
“There were no signs of illness or anything. He never drank or smoked, and never had any health concerns. On a daily basis, he would make sure that before and after work he would get water. He was the breadwinner of our family, my children are now suffering. As Muslims, we are observing Ramadaan. With Eid next week, we will not be able to celebrate such a joyous occasion. He died in an auspicious month,” said Rizwana.
A frustrated resident, Anwar Dawood, 53, said the water issue was a major political problem.
Dawood said that Naidoo was among the residents who went to the Durban City Hall on Human Rights Day to highlight their plight that the area had been without a water supply for 240 days. Residents also handed a memorandum to a representative of the eThekwini Municipality.
Dawood regarded Naidoo as a “soldier” who was at the forefront of the water protest.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said that the water demand currently exceeded water supply from the system, hence the City was busy with interventions to boost supply to Verulam through its Mount View Reservoir.
The City assured residents that the water delivered by water tankers was from reservoirs tested at the City’s lab.
“There is a telemetry monitoring system for all three reservoirs in Verulam, while access is controlled through on-site static security guards. Field staff are physically verifying the status of reservoirs at regular intervals. Folweni area is also affected by the upgrade of the Southern Aqueduct,” Sisilana said.
Dravina Ramai, a community activist, said this was the third death in the Verulam community due to water-related issues.
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