Craigavon taps run dry
CRAIGAVON- On 28 and 29 May Craigavon taps ran dry with a water outage that lasted over 12 hours.
Craigavon resident, Andy Thomas was livid with the situation as he explained that he had to bathe his children, wash dishes and cook food yet there was no water to do so. “We have to suffer water outages here [Craigavon] on a monthly basis,” he said. “Fourways is supposed to be an affluent area but I feel like this is third world.”
According to Millicent Kabwe of Johannesburg Water, the water outage was planned and residents were informed of it via printed notices and the Johannesburg Water website. Kabwe said the water outage was part of a capital investment project to upgrade a pipe on William Nicol Drive, opposite Fourways Mall. Although the notice stated that the water outage would last from 9am to 5pm, challenges were experienced while working on the pipe. “We really apologise for the inconvenience,” Kabwe said. “Roaming water trucks were deployed and we prioritised clinics and schools by having stationary water trucks at these institutions.”
Another Fourways resident, Amanda Elliot was unhappy about the service they received from the call centre when they called to inquire when the water would be turned on. “On more than one occasion we held the line for more than 10 minutes with the bad music,” she said. “Until one call did get through. Someone did push the answer button but did not actually answer. We could hear everyone chatting and laughing in the background and not actually doing what they were hired to do.”
Kabwe explained that the call centre was not operated by Johannesburg Water but rather by City of Joburg. She encouraged people to visit the Johannesburg Water website for updates on water outages and to follow the organisation on Twitter for live updates on the status of projects.
Details: Twitter: @jhbwater
