From “leak to wetland” was the term used by Farrarmere resident Samantha Choles to describe a water leak at the park in Blake Street that was fixed yesterday (July 3). She claims it was only repaired after five months and numerous requests to the Ekurhuleni metro.
“This is a ridiculous lead time to address an issue,” she said.
The flooded area that ensued before yesterday’s repair, according to Choles, was the result of a less than satisfactory job done by the municipal workers from the onset when they were addressing a burst water pipe.
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Prior to the flooding, another area of concern was the gaping hole that remained from February until May due to the repairs conducted.
“In February there was a burst water pipe in Blake Street,” said Choles.
“On February 8, a section of the road and the hole in the park was dug by the municipality when they replaced lengths of pipe.”
“The hole remained open and full of water despite no rain in recent weeks,” said Choles.
“The parks department has mowed the grass numerous times since then. Tree maintenance teams have been in the area and the road surfacing team has also been in the area.
“I cannot understand how these various teams from the municipality did not escalate or address this.”
The City Times contacted the metro for comment and received the following response on May 23 from divisional head for communication and media relations Nhlanhla Cebekhulu:
“The City officials were dispatched to close the hole yesterday and it has been closed,” said Cebekhulu.
“We thank the residents for notifying us of service gaps where they detect them.”
But, despite the hole being filled, Choles recently reported water was seeping through the sand and onto the road which remained a concern.
“It is water wastage,” she said about the situation prior to the leak being fixed.
While it has not been confirmed yet by the metro if the leak was owing to repairs conducted previously or was a new leak, Choles said she is unsure if the initial burst water pipe was even addressed at all before yesterday’s repair.
“I reported it numerous times on the Ekurhuleni app, of which I am an avid user, receiving multiple reference numbers but to no avail.”
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