Water woes continue for residents in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs as additional major pipe bursts and water restrictions create more chaos.
Residents in Bryanston and extended suburbs experienced a second emergency water shutdown to repair a major burst pipe on Anslow Lan on October 3 resulting in 24 hours of low pressure/no water.
The repair required the Bryanston reservoir and tower to be isolated, impacting thousands of properties. While repairs concluded late on October 3, the burst reoccurred in the early hours of October 4 when water was restored.
According to Johannesburg Water, following an investigation teams confirmed that there was a leak in a 110mm main.
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Ward 104 councillor Emi Koekemoer said water infrastructure remained a concern, something the City of Joburg had also admitted, previously reported in Water woes continue, [Week ending October 7]. Koekemoer noted that on average she escalated more than 100 bursts and leaks a month, and September was no exception.
“The old asbestos infrastructure is in dire need of an upgrade. In addition to this, newly replaced water meters are leaking and it makes me question the quality of materials used as well as the quality of workmanship,” said Koekemoer.
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Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford said the municipality continued to make headway with the water projects (replacing infrastructure) in her ward.
“I am still sitting with Johannesburg Water to identify more disaster areas that are in need because the pipes are over 50 years old,” said Shackleford.
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She added that while the continuous bursts continued to be an issue, residents remained proactive in reporting these issues to her and the municipality.
“That really helps because Johannesburg Water can then follow what is going on… So we know if a pipe bursts in one area, we know that there is going to be another.”
She added that residents were mainly concerned about the large amounts of water that were lost due to these bursts as water scarcity continued to be a challenge.
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As a result, Johannesburg Water implemented Level 2 water restrictions on October 4 across the city.
This was due to the increased demand for water and extremely low water levels at various reservoirs and towers. This included the Alexander Park reservoir which feeds parts of Sandton.
“Johannesburg Water urges residents to remain active partners in reducing the amount of water used in the city of Johannesburg as we work together in making our city a better place to live in,” said spokesperson Puleng Mopeli.
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