Water has been restored to many households in Dainfern Gold Estate following a major pipe burst that left residents without water for four days.

According to Ward 94 councillor David Foley, approximately 1 235 homes were affected by the outage as repair teams worked to access and fix the damaged pipe.

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Foley described the scale of the operation, saying the excavation required to reach the pipe was far deeper than initially anticipated.

“It’s a massive deep excavation, and even the TLB that they had first could not get deep enough to get to the pipe. So they brought in the excavator, which is a massive machine, and that could actually get to it.”

He added that the excavation presented significant safety challenges. “I actually witnessed when the whole bank fell. It was about a ton of soil that just landed on the pipe, which could have injured somebody.”

During the repair process, the excavation work resulted in additional infrastructure damage, including a fibre line and a sewerage pipe.

“During the process of the excavator, they damaged the fibre, and the teams are on site now trying to repair it, and they also damaged the sewerage pipe, unfortunately.”

The damaged sewerage pipe led to concerns about water quality after contaminating the water pipe to some extent. However, Foley praised Johannesburg Water for its response to the situation.

“The water utility has been excellent in what they’re doing. They’re making sure the systems are flushed. They also made sure that there was testing and chemicals thrown in the water.”

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Residents have been advised not to consume the water until Johannesburg Water confirms that it is safe to do so. “Do not drink the water until they advise that it has been cleaned and cleared sufficiently.”

Despite the challenges encountered during the repair work, Foley said residents were relieved to have their water supply restored.

“I can only say that Joburg Water has been excellent with the repair work here, and people are very happy that the water is back.”

Johannesburg Water issued a notice to the residents on social media on June 16, confirming that residents should not drink the tap water.

“[Our] water quality testing team is on site collecting water samples for testing. Customers are urged not to consume the water until the water quality testing process has been completed and water has been declared safe for consumption.”

The notice said an alternative water supply is being provided to the affected areas and will remain available until water quality test results confirm that the water is safe for consumption.

“Dainfern Golf Estate, Dainfern Ridge, and Dainfern Valley remain affected.”

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