Oakdene desperate for water
For weeks there has been an issue where the water is cut off during the day
THE COURIER has recently received numerous calls and complaints regarding the ongoing water problem in the upmarket Oakdene area.
Not only has this problem been going on for about three to four weeks now, but it seems to be getting worse, and no one seems to be taking responsibility to resolve it.
Emails and letters have been sent back and forth between residents and the relevant ward councillors in order to get Joburg Water or Rand Water to address the burdening situation. To date the COURIER has received no response from Joburg Water regarding the situation. Rand Water was also contacted for comment and referred us back to Joburg Water.
READ: JOBURG WATER TO THROTTLE SUPPLY TO SOME RESIDENTS
A local resident, Antonio Luis, expressed his frustration: “We have made contact with all the relevant parties in the hopes that this would get some attention from the very top, but there has just been deathly silence and it is an endless saga. To all intents and purposes, we have effectively been limited to two to three hours of water for the past three weeks. I have spoken to other neighbours and they also have the same problem.”
According to another resident, the water gets cut off from about 09:00 to 17:00 and then again from 20:00 to 04:00.
Joburg Water says it is Rand Water that is making unscheduled cuts, while Rand Water blames Joburg Water.
Residents are now asking, where to from here?
READ: No water at night? Jo’burg water shedding is your fault
Another issue is that there is very low pressure when the water is on, making showering, turning on a washing machine and other daily tasks difficult.
Ward 56 councillor Michael Crichton spoke to the depot manager at Joburg Water, who informed him that Oakdene gets its water supply directly from Rand Water, and apparently Rand Water has started turning down the water pressure feeding Oakdene in the evenings.
“This results in the areas higher up on the koppies not getting water, as it needs a certain amount of pressure to get there. I know that this is very inconvenient and frustrating. I am trying to find out how long this will carry on for,” read Crichton’s response to one of the emails.
ALSO READ: JHB imposes night time water cuts
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