Shoddy work by Joburg water angers residents
MORNINGSIDE - Residents have expressed frustration and outrage at Johannesburg Water after repair work resulted in a fire hydrant remaining without water.
The residents accuse the entity of shoddy work following an annual fire inspection which allegedly revealed the fire hydrant was without water due to contractors failing to restore the supply to the hydrant.
According to a source at one affected complex, who wishes to remain anonymous, the problem began when the entity initially came to repair problematic water pipes a few months ago.
“They [Joburg Water] managed to fix the water pipes, but when the Fire Risk Prevention Specialists came to do their annual inspection at our complex, they discovered the water supply to the hydrant had not been restored during the repair,” she said.
The resident added it was an outrage as this would cause serious problems in the future should a fire occur at the complex or in the vicinity.
The resident also added that despite various complaints to the entity, the problem remained unsolved.
Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp, echoed her sentiments, saying it was unacceptable that the entity had still not resolved the serious issue.
He explained the onus was upon them to ensure the hydrant was re-connected to the water pipe after the work was completed, as it could cause major problems should a fire occur.
“The unfortunate part is that residents may not be aware that their hydrants are not connected, especially if any work has been done on the water pipes, until a fire breaks out and by then it’ll be too late,” he said.
Despite being unable to get information from Johannesburg Water about the matter, correspondence between residents at the complex and the entity revealed the cause of the issue and that Joburg Water was aware of the problem.
“The problem is a result of the relocation of the water supply main from one side of the road to the other [and] during the relocation process, only domestic water connections were restored,” one official stated in the correspondence.
The correspondence also stated the problem was being attended to and would be resolved within a few weeks at the affected complexes.
