Several Ferndale residents have shared their opinion on the three-week water issue in Ferndale after various sections of a water pipe had broken and needs replacing.
According to Vale Avenue resident Shadhna Narsing, the area has seen numerous issues of burst pipes over the years. “Chatting on our community groups, many have said that every time there is a burst pipe and it is replaced, a new section of pipe bursts further up the road. “For the past three weeks, we have very little pressure in our water pipes or no water at all. Many residents like me have been logging the problem with the City. This whole situation is horrendous and we hope that it gets sorted out soon.
“You can’t shower as there is only a little trickle of water, you also cannot run your appliances like a dishwasher or laundry, and even doing by hand is a mission as there is hardly any water at all. Our neighbours have five children, and for them, it is even more of a struggle. I also worry about the quality of our drinking water.” Upset Pine Avenue resident Norbert Becker said, “The problem started in the morning with low water pressure, but in the evening it was fine. A few weeks ago the problem got persistently worse. I use borehole water too, but the pressure isn’t very high. This means that we have been living out of buckets.”
Fellow Pine Avenue resident Sanusha Chetty said that for her and her family, the whole problem has been an ordeal. “While I understand that there are issues with service delivery especially with the lockdown, we did not get any times for a resolution or water tanks to supply us in the interim. I contacted our ward councillors, who I feel were not very helpful. Every day we get the same response, ‘We have escalated the issue’. I Tweeted City of Joburg, Joburg Water as well as Gauteng Premier David Makura, but still no assistance. “I have been forced to go out to family and friends to shower. This has essentially increased my exposure and their exposure to contracting Covid-19.
During the lockdown my family is working from home, it’s extremely difficult to do various things like cook, clean my home or wash clothes and dishes.” Another Pine Avenue resident Marlene van den Munckhof added, “I sent three emails to the City so far. I am left with the impression they couldn’t care less, the job might be too big and they don’t feel like tackling it now or not qualified to find the broken pipe. We have had weeks of trickling water.” The Randburg Sun has contacted Joburg Water and is awaiting their comment.
