Windsor Road collapse and illegal mining: Bad news regarding water supply
The municipality has confirmed there is only bad news as to why a section of Windsor Road collapsed and said the water supply for the whole of Mogale City will be affected as a result of a damaged pipe.
Mogale City Local Municipality has been stunned yet again by the impact of illegal mining in town, more than a week after seeing the collapse of Windsor Road. After an investigation took place on Friday, August 4, MCLM intends on taking further steps in cracking down on illegal mining.
On July 19, National Crime Assist (NCA) was assisting an oversight with Krugersdorp police and MCLM road officials to investigate illegal mining activities taking place beneath Windsor Road (Main Reef Road), which has collapsed. The road was closed for resurfacing and has not been used for several months which has led to the illegal miners taking advantage.
Upon investigation, Mogale City officials along with other law enforcement found that a large pipeline had been unearthed and a water supply valve vandalised after illegal mining activity.
According to the MMC of Utility Management Services, Peter Modise, the damage to the pipeline will have to serve consequences for the water supply for the whole of Mogale City, and plans will be put in place to repair the damage.
”There is leakage in the unearthed pipes. The leakage will lead to another water shortage if not fixed soon which is why we have consulted with Rand Water to repair the damage as soon as possible,” Modise said.
MCLM ward councillor Mark Trump further elaborated on the consequences of damage done to the pipe.
• Also read: Illegal miners back to haunt Windsor Road; section of road collapses
“The damage to infrastructure is immense. After co-ordinating relevant stakeholders to do oversight of the area, Rand Water officials confirmed that the pipeline was the main feed to the Mogale Reservoirs, Kenmare Reservoir, Dan Pienaarville, and their associated reservoirs which will be the ones mostly affected if repairs are not done soon. With this pipeline becoming compromised it could put Mogale City into a severe water crisis, worse than the one we’ve recently experienced through the maintenance of the Eikenhof pump station upgrades.”
After evaluating the area, Trump confirmed that MCLM will take a plan of action going forward to prevent any more illegal mining activity from taking place.
“On August 4 and with the assistance of police, the NCA, and the West Rand K9 Search and Rescue, we were able to access the area to evaluate the situation and plan for action on a way forward.”
