Douglasdale residents continue to endure unreliable water supply as repeated pipe bursts and ageing infrastructure plague the suburb, with Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana warning that the situation has become completely unsustainable.

Santana said residents have been experiencing intermittent or no water on an almost daily basis, with many only receiving water for a few hours during the night.

“I am as frustrated, if not more frustrated, because obviously I’m dealing with it from the municipal side as well with the no water issue every single day.”

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He added that several water pipe bursts occurred across Douglasdale in recent days, placing further strain on an already struggling network.

He said, for instance, on July 23 alone, Johannesburg Water attended to bursts on Van Riebeeck Avenue, Amadina Road, and Crawford Drive.

While the Crawford Drive burst was repaired, repairs required the closure of a valve at Sloane Street, affecting a much larger area and delaying the restoration of water supply.

“The frustration on the ground is enormous. People are so frustrated that we don’t have reliable water.”

Santana said he has been raising concerns with the city since December 15, when recurring water supply issues intensified in the area.

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He has repeatedly called for emergency funding and the replacement of ageing water infrastructure, arguing that temporary repairs are no longer enough.

“I’ve been trying to push for the reallocation of budget, emergency budget, even just budget, to try and get the pipes replaced in this area because it’s completely unsustainable.”

He added that Johannesburg Water had removed smart demand management valves and reinstated older analogue valves in an attempt to reduce pressure within the system. However, pipe bursts have continued despite these interventions.

Water tankers have been deployed during prolonged outages, but Santana said obtaining them can be difficult because Johannesburg Water generally requires an area to be without water for more than 48 hours before approving alternative supply.

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“When we do have a shutdown, I do try and arrange a tanker. It normally comes out to Norscot Manor.”
While acknowledging the cost of continuously deploying water tankers, Santana said residents need a reliable alternative whenever the water network fails.

“If they can’t give us water, they’re going to have to provide an alternative supply and ensure that it’s reliable here all the time.”

Johannesburg Water was approached for comment on July 28 at 14:22, which they acknowledged.

A follow-up was sent on July 30, to which the utility said they have sent a follow-up to the depot and will respond as soon as they receive information.

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