City urges residents to beware of early signs of sinkholes

With the summer rainfall, the CoE wishes to advise residents to monitor signs and the development of sinkholes in their properties.

According to a study conducted in 2010, Ekurhuleni is 52% dolomitic and 48% of its land is free from dolomite.
Some of the early signs of the development of a sinkhole are the tilting of one side of a house, the slight sinking of the ground, or depression or unexplainable holes in the yard, no matter how small this may be.

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Sinkholes are caused mainly by stagnant water and constant water pipe leaks, which result in underground erosion.
To mitigate against water pipe leaks the city is replacing the old concrete pipes with more flexible ones that can withstand unstable grounds.
These pipes can move, without breaking, with the ground as the earth shifts.

The public is advised to use professionals when building or extending their homes because they will know how to navigate the building conditions, conduct land surveying and know fitting building materials for specific land conditions.
If residents see suspicious dolomite or sinkhole signs, they may report it at their local customer care centre (CCC) or call 011 999 4666 /4940 to report.

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Once the matter is reported, the city sends a team of experts to inspect the reported incident.

Based on the assessment, the occupants may be requested to evacuate the property affected by the sinkhole, depending on the risk posed by the sinkhole.
Should an evacuation be recommended, the area will be condoned off to deny unauthorized access.
A detailed geotechnical investigation is then conducted to determine the possible cause and extent of the sinkhole.

Rehabilitation commences and the area is reinstated to its original state.
The affected occupants are then advised when to return.
The city warns against accessing a cordoned-off property, as this may result in the unfortunate loss of life. The decision to evacuate is informed by the threat, as demonstrated by the investigation of experts.