CoE to meet with Better Bedfordview to address water concerns

The City of Ekurhuleni said its Water and Sanitation Department is securing a date to meet with Better Bedfordview after the NPO raised concerns about water leaks in Bedfordview.

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In the October 5 edition of Bedfordview and Edenvale News, the NPO called for a meeting with CoE engineers to determine when leaks and burst pipes in the area would be repaired.

Better Bedfordview chairperson Marina Constas said thousands of litres of potable water were being wasted in Bedfordview every day due to ongoing leaks.

She said the NPO was gravely concerned by what appears to be a lack of urgency by the municipality to offer a comprehensive solution to the ageing and corroded infrastructure that is causing regular water leaks, pipe bursts and water cuts.

Constas also highlighted that residents had informed Better Bedfordview of water leaks that had continued for a year.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the city welcomed the input of Better Bedfordview.

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“The city wishes to work together with the NPO and the Bedfordview community as a whole to improve the level of service,” said Dlamini.

He said the city is committed to providing an exceptional level of service and aims to improve standards that have regressed.

Dlamini assured the community that the drinking water is safe to drink.

This comes after Constas questioned whether corrosion on water pipes could impact the water quality and the health of Bedfordview residents.

“We constantly monitor the quality of water provided,” said Dlamini.

“Corrosion of steel pipes occurs predominantly on the outside of the pipes and will hence not affect the quality of the water.”

Explaining the cause for the leaks and pipe bursts, Dlamini said infrastructure in Bedfordview is aged and corroded.

“In some instances, the infrastructure needs replacement.”

Discussing ongoing leaks, Dlamini said the city is aware of a long outstanding water leak on Boeing Road East near the Essexwold bridge.

“Rand Water has also investigated the possibility of it being on their pipeline,” said Dlamini.

He said recent findings point to the possibility of the leak originating from inside the Gauteng government’s garage.

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“The city will take it up with the property owner to attend to.”

Recently the city started replacing old asbestos-cement water pipes in the Senderwood area.

Dlamini said this formed part of CoE’s s long-term solution to address water leaks in Bedfordview.

“The Senderwood project will go a long way to limit water pipe bursts and water supply interruptions in Bedfordview,” said Dlamini.

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