The main water pipeline on Florence Avenue in Bedfordview burst for the sixth time this year on September 7.

According to Ward 20 councillor Jill Humphreys, the 50-to-60-year-old asbestos-cement pipe is ancient and fragile. She said the pipe cracks with the varying temperatures, pressures and water flow changes in Bedfordview.

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“Now we have water, the next minute we don’t. Water is on and off, valves close, valves open, and the pressure changes; that bursts the pipes,” said Humphreys.

The councillor said R10m was set aside in council four years ago to remove and replace the asbestos pipes.

“So there’s a whole project that was approved to replace these asbestos pipes in 10 streets in Bedfordview. It was agreed that it must be budgeted to have these cement asbestos pipes replaced. But unfortunately, every year it gets moved away from the Integrated Development Plan, and in other years the money is used somewhere else, or the money is just not available. So here we still sit.”

Humphreys said the pipes are vulnerable to changing pressure, adding that airlocks develop and break the pipes every time the water supply is restored. She said extreme temperature changes also affect the pipes.

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“Two weeks ago it was boiling hot and then all of a sudden it’s freezing cold. That also affects the ability of these fragile, old pipes to withstand that kind of change in temperature, and they burst,” she said.

The councillor acknowledged that the line is a major main supply feeding into Essexwold, meaning the entire Florence Avenue area and properties downstream are affected.

When the pipe burst on Monday, September 7, repairers had to shut off all valves, affecting a large area before completing repairs at 02:00 on September 8.

Humphreys explained that repairers must open and shut valves during repairs to control the heavy water flow.

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“So then the whole area does not have water. You can imagine people that have invested hugely in these homes; every five minutes they don’t have water. They are not happy. They are paying high rates, and they don’t get any money back for the time they don’t have water. That is an ongoing issue for me: people here pay a lot of money to live here, they keep paying the city, and they’re not getting service, and it’s not right,” she said.

With six major bursts in recent months, the councillor said the damage is visible on the Florence Avenue pavements, adding that driveways are regularly disrupted by tractor loader backhoes (TLBs).

Humphreys said the long-term solution is replacing the entire line, but expressed doubt over when the municipality would undertake the project.

Questions about whether the City of Ekurhuleni has conducted any recent assessments of the pipelines in the affected area and findings; confirmation about the R10m budget and how it was used; and whether residents who experienced damages caused by municipal water bursts can report and how, were sent to the City of Ekurhuleni.

The enquiry was sent on September 9, requesting a response by September 11 at 10:00. A follow-up email was sent on September 14, but there was no response at the time of going to print.