Exposed hole poses danger
Questions were raised by community members as to why Ugu can't get the job fixed the first time round?
A road dug up by Ugu District Municipality several weeks ago near Palmview still remains open, making it dangerous for motorists and pedestrians.
Initially, Ferndale Road had to be dug up to repair a water leak that affected residents of Palmview, Albersville, Umbango and Port Shepstone. When work first started on repairs, an Eskom power line was struck, and this created a further problem of no water and electricity for many residents, which lasted a few days.
Ugu managed to repair the leak, but a few days later, the pipe broke, not once but twice. Recently, the pipe broke again, leaving some residents along Highland Avenue without water.
Questions were raised by community members as to why Ugu can’t get the job done right the first time around.
According to Ugu, their teams responded promptly to the initial reported break and conducted a thorough drainage procedure on the 200mm pipe.
“The pipe was then intentionally left exposed to verify the absence of leaks or breaks upon re-pressurisation. The wet environment required the backfilling team to dry the area before reinstatement, which was scheduled for completion last Friday due to the considerable scope of work. The municipality will continue to closely monitor the pipeline,” said France Zama, Ugu spokesperson.
The Herald visited the site again yesterday (Wednesday) and found that only one lane had been backfilled.
A local resident, Sal Musa, is concerned about the safety of the public using the road.
“With a heavy downpour, it will wash away and make it even more dangerous for pedestrians and vehicles to pass. A part of it has been filled, but the embankment has not been stabilised and will collapse easily with a heavy downpour. We would appreciate it if the road is sorted properly,” said Sal.
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