Residents are concerned about the fire hydrants in Clover, Deysel and Pierre roads that are being tampered with.
Thomas Hayden said he has seen people using screw drivers in order to get water from the hydrants.
“This has been happening for some time now and it is quite concerning. I wonder what would happen if ever there was an emergency and all the water was used up?” Hayden asked.
He added that sometimes residents would open the hydrants and not close them afterwards. “We have to save as much water as we can, especially after the drought we have just been through. Leaving the water running, wastes a lot of water,” he added.
He added that it was a pity that people had to resort to such measures to get water and pointed out that they were often seen pushing buckets of water on wheelbarrows crossing over Beyers Naudé Drive.
Ward 97 Councillor Jaco Engelbrecht went to inspect the fire hydrants and confirmed that they were tampered with. He pointed out that in spite of the fact that Zandspruit residents voted, their needs have been neglected. “The City needs to provide water infrastructure with taps so that residents can stop using the fire hydrants. This is the only solution,” Councillor Engelbrecht said.
Zandspruit resident, Peter Ndoku, admitted he was getting water from the hydrant because the taps in Zandspruit did not work and were not in walking distance.
“I saw other residents getting water from the hydrant about five months ago and decided to get water from it too,” Ndoku said.
He added that the water from the hydrant was dirty but Zandspruit residents did not have a choice but to use it for drinking, cooking and bathing.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi said that even though the responsibility of repairs and maintenance was not their jurisdiction, they had a serious interest in the matter because they used these hydrants when there was an emergency.
“We would like to urge our communities to refrain from using the hydrants as water taps, even if there might be a water shortage in the area. They must contact Joburg Water if they have any challenges regarding water in the area instead of using the fire hydrants,” Mulaudzi said.
He pointed out that the fire hydrants were for emergency use only.
David Sibiya, spokesperson for Joburg Water said that they had alerted the depot responsible for the area about the tampering and that they were on the lookout. “Our emergency infrastructure must be operational at all times as an emergency can occur at any time,” Sibiya said.
“We have also escalated the problem to the JMPD, our bylaw enforcement agency, and they too will be on the lookout for residents who are tampering with the hydrants,” he added.
