Johannesburg Water’s general manager, Etienne Hugo, said the entity was using R2.3 billion to address the burst pipes across the province.
In an online article titled Houghton and surrounds without water due to burst pipe [September 24] the Gazette reported that Joburg Water attended to a burst pipe which left surrounding areas without water on Houghton Drive and Carse O’Gowrie Road.
Joburg Water acting manager Puleng Mopeli had said the welding team had arrived on-site and commenced with repairs. There was no estimated time for completion at that stage.
On September 27 Mopeli also confirmed with the Gazette that the surrounding areas had running water in their taps.
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Speaking in an interview on Radio 702 on September 26, Hugo said that they were fixing and replacing pipes on a priority basis.
“When it comes to replacing pipes, we work on a priority basis. Blairgowrie is one of the areas which been earmarked to be fixed within this financial year. I wouldn’t say poor planning has brought us to this point of having burst pipes, but the limited financial resources which don’t always match what needs to be done.”
He added, “Currently at Joburg Water, we have a R2.3 billion water pipe backlog that we want to address in the next 10 years to replace the ageing infrastructure that is giving us problems. What is important to note regarding the next 10 years is we will not replace the entire
12 000km of water piping, but rather replace approximately 1 200 km worth of water piping.”
Hugo said, “In the previous financial year, Joburg Water covered over 100kms [in terms of pipe replacements and fixing ] and we plan to cover 120kms in the coming financial years.”
The general manager noted that the aged pipes does not affect the quality of drinking water.
“When a pipe ages, it doesn’t leak into the water. Our water pipe system is pressurised so the chances of contamination is little. We conduct over 500 samples in the entire City of Johannesburg water reticulation on a monthly basis and currently we comply 99,9% to the drinking water compliance in that regard.”
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