Businessman shocked by blatant water wastage
Residents and pedestrians using the busy Berea Road were shocked and angered by the water wastage caused by a huge water leak that has not been fixed since May.
THOUSANDS of litres of clean running water is being wasted on King Dinuzulu (Berea) Road since the upgrade more than a month ago, claim businesses on the busy road.
According to Rigard Olivier of CNC Woodworking Machinery, he has passed the a large hole which is roughly 1,5m by 1m and at least 80cm deep, filled with clean running water daily for more than a month as drives into his driveway on King Dinuzulu Road.
“This started when the Roads Department retarred the road on 12 May. They compacted the ground and must have damaged a major water pipe. That night there was a small damaged area with a small hole. We contacted the municipality and were given a reference number. They came around more than once to try to fix the leak but always dug deeper. Now the hole is huge and water is free flowing,” he said.
When Berea Mail arrived to view the large hole, a man was witnessed filling a jug with the water. “People from around the area collect water and some man came to bath here earlier today,” Olivier said. Another concern he said was for pedestrians. “There is rubble and sand lying on the sidewalk, so people are either walking on the road or on uneven rubble to get past. The main thing is the wastage. They say we need to conserve water, yet the municipality is doing nothing to sort this out and stop this wastage. Who pays for it? It is us taxpayers,” he said.
The municipality had not responded with comment at the time of going to press.
