We woke up on Sunday morning (November 27) with no water, as result of a burst pipe on a pavement in our street.
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When we contacted the emergency number around 8am, we were told that we must “please be patient”, as we “weren’t the only ones complaining” and that “someone is already fixing the pipes”.
There was no one at the scene.
We asked for a reference number, but the person was hesitant to give one until we explained that this report was not just about not having water, but a burst pipe on the pavement – and that water was streaming down the street and being wasted.
A truck finally arrived at 10am.
As the day proceeded, no one could find the main valve to turn off the water.
This meant that the worker had to constantly pump water out of the hole for approximately eight hours, to try and fix the broken pipe as the hole kept filling up.
Will one of the clever employees at the Ekurhuleni Water Department please explain the following: why was the main line not switched off, so that the pipe could be fixed in a shorten period of time?
Why was it necessary for 1000s of liters of water to be wasted?
Who’s going to foot the bill?
This is unacceptable at a time when water is such a precious resource.
To our shock – and to top it all – we also discovered that pipes are made of asbestos.
Why hasn’t Ekurhuleni replaced these, as they surely must be aware of the impact plus their outdated infrastructure?
Our thanks go out to councillor Malanie Haggard, for her assistance.
Also read:
Lifeline is grateful for support
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