Water leak repaired after weeks of wastage in Edenvale
The leak, which was located in a City Power servitude between the N3 highway and First Avenue, was reportedly repaired after it had been leaking exponentially for more than seven weeks.
A water leak which saw thousands of litres of water being wasted has reportedly been repaired.
The leak, which was located in a City Power servitude between the N3 highway and First Avenue, was reportedly repaired after it had been leaking exponentially for more than seven weeks.
In early October, Edenvale resident Liz van der Schyff met with Bedfordview Edenvale News to raise her concerns about the water leak and the lack of action being taken to repair the infrastructure.
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Bedfordview Edenvale News reported on October 14 that Van der Schyff had attempted to report the leak on numerous occasions without success.
She told the publication that she had initially tried reporting the leak to the City of Johannesburg but was referred to the City of Ekurhuleni.
Van der Schyff explained that the infrastructure had been leaking for years, but suddenly started leaking excessively on August 20.
It was her belief that a pipe had burst, causing the volume of water to increase and subsequently flow out of the chamber.
Van der Schyff said that because the leak started small, individuals who lived in the veld would collect water from the leaking infrastructure, drinking it and using it to bathe.
She said the people would climb into the chamber to fill containers and collect water but could no longer do so as the chamber was filled with water before being repaired.
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City Power, the City of Ekurhuleni and Rand Water were approached for comment after The News met with Van der Schyff.
A request for comment was sent to the three entities on October 8, requesting comment by October 9 at 15:00.
All three entities missed the deadline for comment; however, City Power and the CoE have since provided comment on the matter and Van der Schyff’s concerns.
City of Ekurhuleni’s comment
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the leaking infrastructure was a Rand Water valve chamber and, as such, the matter was referred to Rand Water for repair.
He said once the leak was referred to the water utility, it was repaired.
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Lisa Atkins of Ward 18’s ward committee confirmed that the leak was repaired shortly after Van der Schyff contacted the NEWS.
Despite being asked, the city did not provide a reason for the cause of the leak as the infrastructure belonged to Rand Water.
City Power’s comment
City Power also responded, stating that it acknowledged the concerns of Van der Schyff.
General manager of City Power, Department of Public Relations and Communication, Isaac Mangena, said, “City Power is the licensed electricity distributor responsible for the supply of electricity and the maintenance of associated electrical infrastructure which includes overhead lines, underground cables, poles, pylons and related electrical inspection pits or servitudes in its area of supply.”
He highlighted that City Power does not own, operate or maintain water reticulation infrastructure.
“The leak has been described as fresh water emanating from a pipe within or into an inspection chamber.
“Water pipes and related infrastructure fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Ekurhuleni’s Water and Sanitation department or, in some instances, Rand Water.”
Mangena said although the chamber is located in a City Power electrical servitude, this does not transfer ownership or maintenance responsibility for the water pipe to City Power.
He said the matter does not appear to have been formally logged with City Power as an electrical fault or as a threat to electrical infrastructure.
Residents experiencing water leaks should report it directly to the City of Ekurhuleni’s Water and Sanitation Department.
These include issues such as: a lack of water, blocked sewerage infrastructure, leaking fire hydrants, water leaks, missing manhole covers, faulty water meters and blocked stormwater drains.
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Mangena said that when repairs need to be done, City Power is willing to facilitate access to the servitude and to participate in a joint site inspection. solely to ensure that any excavation or repair work does not compromise City Power’s electrical assets and that safe access is maintained.
Mangena encouraged community members who identify leaks in City Power electrical servitudes to report them to the City of Ekurhuleni and Rand Water.He said City Power remains committed to protecting its electrical infrastructure and to working with stakeholders on matters that affect shared servitudes.
Rand Water
Rand Water has yet to comment on the matter despite reportedly repairing the valve chamber.
Rand Water was questioned whether the leaking infrastructure belonged to the water utility, if it had been aware of the leak, what the cause of the leak was and why it had taken so long for action to be taken to repair the leak.
