Residents in Wendywood continue to fight a reoccurring battle, as a water leak running down Edison Street continues to be a problem.
According to resident John Baker, the problem began in December last year when a short-term repair was carried out by Johannesburg Water. The leak began again during the lockdown in May where a second repair was attempted.
Baker echoed the concerns of the residents living in the street as the leak can sometimes go unattended for days on end. “My very rough estimate is that we are losing about 10 000 litres an hour of potable water,” he said.
While the community would appreciate a long-term solution for the leak, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Isaac Dhluhlu said that the entity has continued to work under pressure on reducing the leak. According to Dhludhlu, the team can only temporarily repair the leak because the reservoir team cannot close the reservoir for them to permanently repair it.
“The team will go again next week [week of 3 August] and try, but it is not possible to work with water on as we need to weld. We are in the process of getting a new valve for the reservoir,” added Dhludhlu.
Baker added that too much water has been lost and as such it is the responsibility of the entity to come up with an alternative solution as he feels is not acceptable to wait for a valve for over six months. Joburg Water has noted that it is also currently fighting its own battle against Covid-19 as a majority of the depots have been closed after staff members tested positive for the novel virus.MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Mpho Moerane has assured that the City entities will work through the backlog as soon as it is able to.
The residents in Edison Street will be sure to hold the City and the entity to account.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/279467/unreliability-leaves-bryanston-in-darkness/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/279386/illegally-occupied-property-leaves-the-community-restless/
