Sixteen water pipe bursts in six days have again put the city's ageing water infrastructure problems on full display.
According to Johannesburg Water's Nombuso Shabalala, the entity recorded 16 pipe bursts since Friday, June 12. Half of them have been repaired.
On Sunday Johannesburg Water attended to a major pipe burst in Dainfern. While this burst has been repaired, JW asked customers in Dainfern Estate, Dainfern Ridge and Dainfern Valley not to drink water from their taps as testing was being carried out on the water quality.
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On Monday Douglasdale, Norscot and Craigavon consumers did not have water because of a burst pipe on Crawford Drive, Douglasdale.
A massive pipe burst affecting the Zondi Tower and Dobsonville direct feed last week is still impacting residents of Dobsonville, Naledi, Zondi and surrounding areas. JW said the work at the leak was complex as old asbestos cement pipes had to be connected to steel pipes, which required modification and the making of specialised couplings that were not readily available. Countless water tankers have been delivering to the area since Friday last week. The Zondi Reservoir is closed for repairs, and JW said the tower will also be closed for repairs.
On Monday a burst pipe in Kew left 14 suburbs, including parts of Alex, Melrose Arch, Lombardy East and West, without water. No time for restoration was given. On Tuesday a burst pipe in Glenhazel left the same suburbs with little to no water.
A burst pipe in the Lanseria area has left the communities of Lion Pride, Thabo Mbeki informal settlement, Malatji informal settlement and Fantisi and surrounding areas without water. Water tankers have been providing communities with water.
Also on Tuesday, JW reported a burst pipe in Cascades Road, Little Falls, which left customers in the area with little to no water.
A leak on the bulk supply line on Randpark Rif left customers in Bromhof, Randpark Rif and Randpark Ridge without water on Tuesday.
A burst pipe in Robertville on Tuesday left the suburb and surrounding areas without water. JW said it had to source specialized material to undertake the repairs. No recovery time was given.
A burst pipe on the corner of Susman Avenue and Park Lane in Blairgowrie has left the suburb without water for two days now. Local resident Eugene Goddard said thousands of litres of water had gone to waste since the pipe burst on Tuesday. He said on Tuesday JW workers were scooping water out of the hole and said they were hoping to fix the burst. JW has not given a recovery time.
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Strydompark also suffered similar fate that affected residents in Susan, Samantha and Gerhardus Streets. In Maraisburg a burst pipe affected residents of the entire suburb. Diepsloot residents were also left without water after a pipe burst. Another pipe burst at the intersection of the N14 and Malibongwe Drive affected residents of Lanseria. A burst in North Riding affected the whole suburb, while a burst in Paulshof left residents there without water.
Shabalala said pipe bursts were caused by a range of factors, including fluctuations in water pressure and demand.
"These may be compounded by ageing infrastructure, subsoil conditions, accidental damage by third parties, seasonal temperature changes and other external factors beyond Johannesburg Water's control. Each incident is assessed individually to determine the underlying cause and implement the appropriate remedial action," said Shabalala.
