Taps run dry in large parts of Alberton amid blistering heat
With the extreme heat persisting, the water supply was affected in Alberton North, Elandshaven and South Crest after the valves were reportedly stolen twice, leaving many residents without water.
Water supply was affected in parts of South Crest, Alberton North and surrounding areas because of theft, which saw the CoE’s water department replace permanent controls.
While scorching temperatures linger, the water supply interruption generally affects residential areas.
According to Ward 37 Clr Ivan Naidoo, late on Tuesday night or early on Wednesday morning, the valves at a pump station in South Crest were stolen, and there also were three burst pipes.
The department was notified on Wednesday morning, and a team found the valves had been stolen.
“They replaced the valves and repaired the burst pipes. When they tried to restore water for Elandshaven residents, South Crest and Alberton North, they found that the valves were stolen again after replacing them that morning.
“SOG Security came on board and put in an alarm system to ensure the valves don’t get stolen. The water was then opened at 20:00 on Wednesday, and some areas got water, except Elandshaven and some parts of Alberton North,” Naidoo explained.
They then reported this again to the department, and a team went to put in permanent controllers, and late yesterday (November 23), water was restored to all areas.
Old infrastructure
“It’s just one complex on Charl Cilliers Avenue, and we’re busy investigating the issue. But we’re encountering a lot of burst pipes due to pressure amid the water shutdown. Our infrastructure is old, and when you open the pipes, the pressure cracks them,” Naidoo said.
Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini condemned the theft and vandalism of the city’s infrastructure, saying it is a big problem.
“That’s why the municipality started the campaign to protect the infrastructure. It’s one of the things we need to deal with. For instance, when there is load-shedding, we have to replace certain infrastructure. That’s why we always appeal to the public to assist us in protecting the infrastructure. It belongs to them,” Dlamini said.
The DA spokesperson for Water, Energy and Sanitation, Clr Simon Lapping, said nearly a third of all water in Ekurhuleni is lost because of the ageing infrastructure.
“The CoE has admitted that 30.48% of all water was lost over the past 12 months due to its ageing infrastructure and the lack of maintenance.” This was revealed in a reply to a question by the DA.
“The CoE has conceded that it is experiencing extensive water and sewer infrastructure failures and capacity constraints due to ageing infrastructure, inherent design faults and unmatched growth in service demand,” Lapping stated.
He said it is clear that the CoE, “under the failing EFF and ANC coalition, are not maintaining nor operating an efficient water network when nearly a third of all water is simply lost”.
“To make matters worse, the estimated cost of upgrading and repairing the 10 665km water network and 9 700km sewerage network is an eye-watering R21 477b, while the current budget has an allocation of R6 069b or 28% of what is actually needed.”
The Alberton Record escalated a media enquiry to the office of the chief whip regarding claims made by the aforementioned political party and was informed they would respond accordingly.
