“The pipes take days to repair, but what is the worrying part is that there does not seem to be any shut-off valves for Chartwell so that Joburg Water teams can relieve pressure on the lines in order for them to be able to work,” Williams said.
Williams explained that there was a burst pipe on the corner of Runnymead Street and 2nd Road which has been running since 4 February and caused a fire hydrant to burst, spewing out water on 6 March.
“Joburg Water stated to us that they cannot find the valve shut-off for the area… surely, they have plans for these valves or pipes. [I] question why they cannot install new valves in the area,” Williams remarked.
“Millions and millions of litres of water are wasted, and every drop counts – and this is according to the Joburg Water signage that we see on the highways.”
According to Joburg Water’s regional manager of Diepsloot and Roodeport, Gert Jacobs, the utility attended to the burst pipe on 7 March. He said they installed a new pipe, and due to the water pressure, the pipe burst on the evening of 8 March.
“We came back on-site on the morning of 9 March to install an anchor block in order to reinforce and give adequate movement for the pipe underground,” Jacobs said.
“If there is a burst pipe, report it to our call centre so we can assist as promptly as possible. We rely on the public to report burst pipes in the area because we do not have people keeping count on a daily basis.”
Details: To report burst pipes, call 011 029 4610.
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