Joburg Water drives past Olivedale water leak for a year
Residents complain of year-old water leak that Joburg Water staff have apparently driven past this whole time.
Johannesburg Water staff have been driving past a water leak in Olivedale for about a year without doing anything about it.
This to the chagrin of residents Sandy and Fanie Kruger, who eventually stopped one of the municipality’s vehicles to ask why nothing was being done. They were apparently met with blank stares.
“I decided to report the leak and I got two reference numbers in May, but I am still waiting to hear anything,” said a frustrated Sandy. Fanie is even more disturbed by the volumes of water being wasted by the leak on President Fouché Road, which bubbles up through the ground continually, so that thousands of litres are lost every day.
The road is always busy, and pedestrians like Fanie have to either traverse the perpetually wet and slippery pavement – which now has formed a pool of dank algae-infested water – or step onto the busy street to avoid it. This is not safe. There are also holes developing in the road, which will cause problems if they continue to grow.
Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau said he was aware of the leak and has escalated it with the municipality.
“Whether they do anything about it remains to be seen,” he said. “It is difficult because it could be one of two issues. It could be a burst pipe or it could be ground water. When Joburg Water investigates a leak and they think it is groundwater, they just leave it and don’t tell the other departments about it. It just remains there until the road becomes too deteriorated to drive on.”
Questions were sent to Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala on August 11, as to whether the leak was ever investigated, what the cause of the leak is and when it will be repaired.
Shabalala responded on August 14, “I’ve forwarded your query to the relevant depot for comment. I will respond with their feedback as soon as I hear from them.”
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