The constant water supply interruptions and frequent pipe bursts in parts of Benoni, caused by the ageing infrastructure, is now a thing of the past.
Now residents of Wattville, Actonville and the Emlotheni Informal settlement will breathe a sigh of relief after a new feeder pipe was installed.
The new 3 700m pipe replaces the 78-year-old underground pipe, whose water pressure was life-threatening to the community of Emlotheni, in Wattville.
The Emlotheni residents had erected 55 shacks dangerously over Rand Water’s servitude, making it difficult for the company to access the pipe.
In March, this year, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality relocated Emlotheni residents to a nearby, safe area and provided communal taps, so that the community can receive clean water, amongst other services.
“The municipality worked with Rand Water to replace the pipe, and the process was important in the context of the right to life, since the area was not safe, as well as to address the right to clean water,” said Clr Aubrey Nxumalo, member of the mayoral committee on water and energy.
“We are humbled by the cooperation from the residents of Emlotheni; the relocation process was smooth and without disruptions, such as protests.”
