Rand Water continues its encroachment-awareness campaign
Rand Water advises that settling on its servitudes can be very dangerous.
Since November 2020, Rand Water has made a significant investment in a multi-language awareness campaign that focuses on the dangers of human encroachment on its pipeline servitudes.
According to Rand Water, it has a proud and long-standing commitment to the communities within which it operates.
The encroachment-awareness campaign draws attention to the large volumes of high-pressure water in its pipelines that reach its customers in four of the country’s provinces.
The pipelines that are located below the ground in areas designated as Rand Water servitudes pose a significant risk to human life and property should they burst.
The encroachment on pipeline servitudes also has the potential to hamper Rand Water’s ability to undertake vital maintenance on its underground infrastructure.
Rand Water’s servitudes comprise a network of more than 3 500km pipelines. In recent years, most notably but not exclusively, informal settlement communities have and continue to encroach or use Rand Water’s land and pipeline servitudes for accommodation.
It is commonly accepted that rapid urbanisation has resulted in a backlog of formal housing and available land to develop for this purpose. Servitudes, such as those accommodating Rand Water’s pipelines, offer the opportunity of available land amongst densely populated areas.
Several parts of Rand Water’s pipeline have already been affected by encroachments, and it has identified other servitude areas that have the potential for encroachment if not managed properly.
In certain areas, high-end formal housing structures have been constructed on Rand Water servitudes. The potential danger associated with such actions is either unknown or ignored.
Rand Water is mindful that this awareness campaign cannot supersede any of the direct communication methods necessary to occur between affected communities and the respective government departments linked to human settlements.
The campaign aims to draw attention to the dangers of encroachment and how to identify a Rand Water pipeline servitude.
