Bedfordview residents face repeated water outages for three weeks
Repeated water outages have disrupted Bedfordview since September 28, with residents facing days without supply as concerns grow over the reliability of water delivery to the suburb.
Water outages have been plaguing the suburb of Bedfordview for the past three weeks. The problems began on September 28, when Ward 20 councillor Jill Humphreys announced that Signal Hill Reservoir was at 50% supply capacity.
By the morning of September 29, the reservoir was reported to be empty, although incoming water pressure remained reasonable. However, within an hour, the councillor announced that there had been a problem at the Rand Water Zuikerbosch Treatment Plant, raising fears of a possible two-week outage.
That evening, the councillor informed residents that both Signal Hill and Linksfield reservoirs were empty due to power faults at Rand Water.
ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni says municipal water is safe amid contamination concerns
“Apparently, the second fault at the Zuikerbosch plant has depleted the water availability to the extent that both these reservoirs are now empty. I am advised that although the faults were quickly repaired, the extraction from the system was long enough to once again empty it. At this stage, I’m unable to venture an estimate regarding restoration,” Humphreys said.
She further reported that water tankers and JoJo tanks were in position.
Following this, residents endured another five days without water until supplies were restored on October 4.
However, on October 7, another water outage announcement appeared in Bedfordview residents’ social media groups. The councillor announced that there had been another trip at the Rand Water Zuikerbosch Treatment Plant, with Signal Hill Reservoir at 10% capacity.
On October 8, Humphreys stated: “It’s getting worse. Senderwood and Morninghill are now going to be affected. Central Bedfordview still has no water. I’m beyond feeling guilty – our Bedfordview more than carries its weight in rates and deserves service.”
ALSO READ: Repeated water leaks leave First Avenue pavement in disrepair
This time, the water outage continued until October 14.
The relief lasted only four days, as Central Bedfordview was without water again on October 19.
Humphreys stated on the morning of October 20: “This repeat outage so soon after the last one has us really at breaking point. Hearing reasons is cold comfort. We want water in our taps. For which we pay dearly.”
She added that residents would once again have to wait and make plans to get through the disruption until the water supply was restored.
On October 22, the councillor reported that some water was returning, but not everywhere and not in sufficient quantities. The following day, she said there had been an improvement overnight, but water pressure in higher-lying streets was already dropping.
An enquiry was sent to Rand Water on October 20, asking about the challenges involved in maintaining a reliable water supply to higher-lying areas of Bedfordview, why the area appeared to be constantly affected by outages, and when supply was expected to be restored, including whether a reliable supply could be maintained.
However, Rand Water had not responded by the time of going to print.
