For more than a month, before stage two water restrictions were implemented, residents of Brentwood Park noticed a dramatic reduction in water supply, with many taps running dry.
“We experience water interruptions for at least 16 hours per day, especially between 06:00 and 22:00,” said frustrated resident Melanie Ware.
“We initially thought that the continuous outages were a result of the frequent load-shedding, but the problem persisted, even when the stages were reduced and the schedule changed.
According to Zweli Dlamini, spokesperson for the metro, the CoE is aware of the continuous interruptions in service in the area.
He explained Brentwood Park has been experiencing a high rate of densification from agricultural plots to new residential developments.
“Most of these developments consist of high rise or multi-storey complexes, which puts strain on the already burdened infrastructure, resulting in water supply challenges due to the increased water demand,” he said.
“A leak, detected on Great North Road on September 24, contributed to the problem but was repaired by the water department on the same day.”
He continued by saying the area is gravity fed from the existing 1.59ML Northmead water tower and Brentwood Park being a high-lying area, often experiences seasonal low pressure due to a high water demand during peak periods.
“The situation is exacerbated by the power outages due to load-shedding,” said Dlamini.
“During this time pumps supplying or pumping water to the tower cannot run, resulting in the reservoir level dropping or becoming empty.”
Currently the Northmead tower services seven suburbs. These include Northmead, Farrarmere, Brentwood Park, Norton Park, Benoni North Agricultural Holdings, Goedeburg and parts of Rynfield.
It is hoped that upon completion of the new 5.5 ML tower interruptions in high-lying areas will become less frequent.
“The CoE is further considering procuring a standby generator as an alternative power supply source during load-shedding as a short-term solution,” he said.
“The installation is estimated to be completed by the end of December 2022, depending on the availability of funds due to competing public needs.”
He continued by saying that the metro’s long-term plans include upgrading the existing pump station and the construction of a dedicated bulk water supply pipeline from Northmead to Brentwood Park.
In the interim, tankers are made available in the area, especially to critical places such as old age homes and schools as it is required.
However, residents do not feel that enough is currently being done to ensure that the area has a continuous supply of water.
“When there is a trickle of water we are forced to store as much as we can just to continue functioning as normal,” said Ware.
“It feels like our concerns and struggles are falling on deaf ears with only promises that matters will improve once the water tower is completed.”
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