Residents of Buccleuch are concerned about a recurring water leak on Muller Street.
Concerned resident Andrew McMurray said that the issue is serious and has been going on for months. “Water is a precious commodity, but it appears that it doesn’t seem to count very high in priorities for Johannesburg Water.
“This service is shocking – kilolitre after kilolitre of water going to waste.”
Ward 32 councillor Bongani Nkomo is aware of the problem and through investigations with Johannesburg Water found that the problem is caused by a storm water drain.
“The issue goes way back than just a few months – it actually goes back years. I was a resident on that street. What had happened was, we got Johannesburg Water (JW) out a couple of years ago and we discovered that the issue is caused by a storm water drain and not a sewage line.”
He said that storm water drains immediately fall under the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) which now makes the issue multi-disciplinary.
“At the time when dealing with Joburg Water they actually put a camera in that drain to see exactly where the water was coming from. They couldn’t see where it was coming from and another issue is that that line is actually under a complex in the area. For them to get there and excavate and try identify the problem is actually quite a huge job,” said Nkomo.
He added that the problem was not persistent and occurred on and off during the rainy seasons. Upon the completion of the diagnosis, the results were inconclusive.
“Johannesburg Water then took it upon themselves to talk to the JRA as well as the management of the complex because there are multi-disciplinary entities that need to get involved here. That’s where we are at the moment.’
Bringing the issue to light again this year, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Isaac Dhludhlu said that the matter has been escalated and they are now awaiting feedback.
Media liaison for the JRA Kelebogile Mafa confirmed that the water leak has been escalated with Johannesburg Water.
“It is a Johannesburg Water issue, once the pipe leaks have been attended to by JW, JRA will be contacted by JW for the reinstatement,” said Mafa.
