Petition started to address water woes in Glen Anil
Glen Anil Street, in particular, has borne the brunt of the problems with three bursts occurring within metres of each other last week.
RESIDENTS of Glen Anil, as well as Ward 110 councillor, Aamir Abdul, have started a petition to plead with the eThekwini Municipality to repair and replace the water-pipe infrastructure in the area.
Frequent burst pipes as a result of ageing infrastructure has resulted in more than 15 bursts in the area since the start of this year alone.
Glen Anil Street, in particular, has borne the brunt of the problems with three bursts occurring within metres of each other last week.
Northglen News spoke to resident and Greenwood Park CPF chairperson for Sub-Forum 5, Avi Pillay, who said the situation had become untenable.
“We pay millions in rates, and I don’t understand why the excuse is no funds are available to repair and replace the whole line on Glen Anil Street. The last major repair the eThekwini Municipality undertook was in Saffron Avenue years ago. This petition was started to hold the municipality accountable. In the past, a burst pipe outside my neighbour’s property flooded my garden and damaged my driveway.
“When you look at the pipes removed, you can see the old asbestos pipes are a problem. There are currently so many joins on this particular pipeline, and we need the entire line replaced. The other issue is the City is not replacing valves which means a whole area is shut-off at a time rather than isolating it to an area. The latest leak on the corner of Glen Anil Street and Plane Street has burst three times in a matter of four days. There was supposed to have been a major pipe replacement project for the area but nothing has been done,” he said.
Fellow resident Neil Olivier said the bursts occur almost weekly.
“A few years ago, Rinaldo Road had exactly the same problem. There were so many joins to the old network, and it was only when there was pressure put on the council that significant action was taken. The whole line was replaced, and that is what is needed here in Glen Anil. It is now getting to a stage where there is a burst weekly,” he said.
More than 300 residents have already signed the petition demanding action on the Change.org platform.
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