A Saxonwold resident is dissatisfied with Joburg Water’s turnaround time
A Saxonwold resident has calculated that about 1 000 000 litres of water have gone down the drain due to an unattended burst pipe.
A Saxonwold resident has calculated that about 1 000 000 litres of water have gone down the drain due to an unattended burst pipe.
Clive Shepard expressed his concern about the huge amount of water lost and Joburg Water’s poor turnaround time.
Shepard said, “Early December, I noticed there was a water leak on the pavement on the corner of Avonwold Road and Earlswold Way. I reported it to Joburg Water, and nothing was done. I again reported it this year, and nothing was still done about it.”
He added that after doing an estimation of the water flow, the water wasted equated to about 10 litres per minute. “This equates to approximately 1 000 000 litres of potable water which has run down the street and into the stormwater drain. It would be greatly appreciated if you [Rosebank Killarney Gazette] could assist in drawing this problem to the council’s attention.”
Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck was approached for his comment and was unable to recall the burst pipe but encouraged Shepard to request daily updates on the issue.
The Gazette reached out to Joburg Water acting manager Puleng Mopeli on February 28 for comment. The water utility’s marketing and communications officer Nolwazi Dhlamini acknowledged the publication’s email. Dhlamini said the communication had been escalated to the relevant departments to provide a response which could take longer than 48 hours. Further attempts to contact the utility were made up until and including March 3 but at the time of sending to press, no response had been forthcoming.
Joburg Water’s marketing and communication personnel responded after the Gazette went to print, and said the water came from the old decommissioned pipe and the entity was busy with an investigation to find the source of the seepage.
Dhlamini concluded that there was no burst pipe at the point where the water came out. Instead, the water came from the pipe which decommissioned a long time ago and Joburg Water needed to locate the source of the seepage.
