Joburg Water faces backlog of pipe bursts and leaks

Johannesburg Water has fixed the burst pipe on Oak Avenue in Ferndale, following weeks of fresh water running down the road into drains.

The entity team conducted an investigation into the matter and repairs were done on July 2.

Nombuso Shabalala, spokesperson for Johannesburg Water, explained that the standard response time for attending to a burst water pipe is 48 hours. However, these response times can fluctuate and be delayed according to the nature of the work/repairs that need to be done, the machinery and materials needed, as well as the human labour needed.

“With issues such as water leaks and pipe bursts, for example, the team assigned to the repairs has to first isolate [close] the water so that the pipe network is drained of water. This will then allow them to conduct investigations and assess the situation in order to find out what kind of job needs to be done, and what kind of material is needed to do the job. Sometimes internal procurement processes are required for sourcing material. Once the relevant material is sourced, the job can be completed.”

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She added that, in some cases, a welder or some other specialist may be needed to complete the work, and may not be available on that specific team.

“The specialist would need to be called in from another depot, or team, to assist, which further delays the process. So, essentially, these kinds of issues contribute to the delay of the repairs being completed. However, the leaks on Oak Avenue have been repaired.”

The entity relies on communities to report service delivery issues. They encourage residents and customers to log calls, using the various channels available, for service delivery issues such as leaking water pipes, burst pipes, and sewage leakages.

According to Shabalala they are facing a huge backlog of burst pipes and leaks around the city, which they are working around-the-clock with both internal teams and service providers to complete.

“Ageing infrastructure also plays a role, in that the city experiences bursts and leaks on a daily basis, further adding to the already existing backlog. Resource availability, which is both financial and human, then becomes a challenge. Then some leak repair jobs may take longer to complete.”

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Ferndale residents are also concerned over a 60-year-old tree which was cut before the leak was fixed on Oak Avenue. The entity requested Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) to cut down the big tree. As a result, the road surface was damaged, streetlights were broken, and some parts of the tree trunk were left blocking the way on the pavement for months.

JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley said the street trees office in Region B ensured that the stumps were neatly stacked on the pavement for the grab truck to collect.

“Unfortunately, the truck is currently being maintained, however, interim arrangements were made to utilize a grab-truck once available from an alternate Region, to ensure that the work receives priority.”

She added that the road surface damage had been reported to Johannesburg Road Agency, and a follow-up would be made on the status of the repair.

“The streetlight was not damaged during the work, but City Parks Region B will inform City Power to further investigate and confirm all is in order.”