LETTER: When will our water woes end?
"We demand the provision of consistent and safe water supply to our homes."
Sean McGregor, Farrarmere, writes:
I write this letter as a deeply concerned resident, father, husband and working individual, regarding the persistent and unacceptable water outages in Farrarmere.
Week after week, we wake up to dry taps, often due to recurring pipe bursts and what appears to be gross negligence at the Northmead water tower.
The situation is no longer tolerable and speaks to a failure in basic service delivery.
On July 9, we once again did not have water.
The issue? A burst pipe on Wordsworth Road.
Despite the matter being reported and escalated by both residents and ward councillors, a City of Ekurhuleni-appointed contractor only arrived at 14:43.
The pipes were reportedly repaired and the water tower switched back on by 22:27, however the supply was not restored.
The following morning we were once again greeted with dry taps, due to two additional pipes bursting in the same road.
As residents we are left frustrated, uncertain and unheard.
We do not know who to turn to anymore or where to escalate these ongoing issues to, as it seems our complaints fall on deaf ears.
We call on the CoE, councillors and relevant departments to take accountability, provide a proper action plan and most importantly
Spokesperson for the CoE, Zweli Dlamini responds:
We would like to ensure residents that the newly upgraded pumps at the Northmead water towers are working optimally in ensuring continuous water supply throughout the service area.
The most recent water supply interruption was caused due to aging Asbestos-Cement (AC) pipes bursting.
The city has adopted a programme to replace aging infrastructure with uPVC pipes.
Hotspots for frequent water pipe bursts will be prioritised for replacement.
Maintenance on water infrastructure is ongoing and pipe bursts are attended to within the standard delivery timeframe.
We are also currently in the process of sectorisation supply zones by means of introducing pressure management.
Pressure Reducing Valves (PRV) are being monitored to regulate and manage excessive pressure throughout the network in an effort to prevent future pipe bursts.
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