PHOTOS: Water pipes finally replaced
Notices were put up around the neighbourhood informing residents of the water cut from 8am to 4pm and the team was hard at work under the scorching sun.
A PORTION of Ridley Park Road, north and south bound, was closed to traffic for the completion of the underground pipe re-installation on Jo Naude Road on Thursday, 21 January. Construction began over a month ago when the worn out and problem-causing old asbestos pipes were replaced with new plastic pipes, after a long four-year wait
The final step was to dig out the old pipes which ran underground on Ridley Park Road and adjoining Jo Naude Road. “To ensure that there is minimum disruption to the flow of traffic, underground pipes normally run on the verge of the road. We had no option but to request that we close a part of Ridley Park Road so that we could replace the pipe,” said clerk of works, Cyril Hadebe.
Notices were put up around the neighbourhood informing residents of the water cut from 8am to 4pm and the team was hard at work under the scorching sun to not disappoint.
“We are pleased to have finally completed this project. Although the residents understood the need to have the underground pipes changed, communication was sometimes not effective which made some people very impatient,” said project manager, Sethabile Khumalo.
Diggings began on Tuesday, 24 November 2015. Khumalo said the team made sure that residents had their water during the festive season and ensured that they worked hard to meet their deadline which was on Friday, 18 December 2015. “We were all happy to have made the deadline and are extremely proud of ourselves for completing everything within a short space of time,” she said.
In a previous interview with the Queensburgh councillor, André Mitchell, he said the pipes being replaced were very disruptive and would burst regularly. “I’m happy that the pipes are finally being changed after a four-year wait. These pipes would burst every now and then and residents would go without water for an entire day sometimes,” said Mitchell.
The asbestos underground pipes were replaced in Jo Naude Road, Davidson Crescent and Byron Place with new, stronger and longer-lasting plastic pipes which are estimated to last for up to 100 years, in comparison to the old ones which lasted an estimated 45 years.
