A BURST pipe has led to a partial road collapse on Preston Drive. According to Prestondale Neighbourhood Watch member, Chad Russouw, the damage was allegedly caused by a company laying fibre optic cables. The burst pipe initially led to a trench collapse, however, part of the road and a resident’s driveway have been compromised by the overflow. (See Gallery below)
Russouw has advised motorists to find alternative routes as Preston Drive has been closed to traffic.
“Much of the road going toward Reddam College, just before the intersection of Fern Road has been compromised. This is the second burst water pipe this week alone. Residents are extremely frustrated as this has added to the traffic woes. I urge residents to find alternative routes as the structure of the road has been weakened. We have been assured by the contractors on scene the collapse will be backfilled with soil to storm any further damage,” he said.
We apologise for the poor sound quality of this video, but its important to watch to see the extent of the damage.
uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, said the biggest issue was the loss of thousands of litres of water.
“It is for me particularly annoying that residents had personally warned the fibre contractors about potential damage before they started. Considering the havoc the companies have caused in other parts of Durban, I raised this very same issue at the executive committee even yesterday.
“Perhaps the biggest issue is that we lose thousands of litres of precious water when there is a drought gripping our province. We are already experiencing a rash of water bursts due to recent rains and its affect on the topsoil conditions. Any form of digging simply exacerbates the problem. I am deeply concerned about the damage being caused,” he said.
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