Many Germiston residents have been affected by the sudden interruption in the water supply.
Examples of the complaints the GCN has been receiving since Thursday include:
“I have been without water since Wednesday.
“I have to go to the gym to have a shower, its completely unacceptable,” said Suzanne Petrie of Albemarle.
“Quite disgusted in Ekurhuleni, I stay in Albemarle and we are still without water, ever since Monday.”
“I have logged numerous calls to no avail, at times having held on at call center for three hours, still no operator taking my call,” said Deon Rynders
Don Bowler shared his experience: “Today is day three without water, I have spoken to the municipal office every day now, and get a different story each time.
”This morning I found a water leak two blocks from where we stay in Lambton.
”How come the story revolves around no water in the reservoir, but the water is running freely from an open manhole and, to top it off, it is right opposite where they have done some major work on the water pipes but were unable to see the leak.”
“Dit is absoluut nie aanvaarbaar om vir so lank sonder water te sit nie, nou moet ons werk toe gaan met ons stink gatte, wat gaan aan?” asked Nelsie Else.
Mary Stainsby commented: “We always use water sparingly, but just drive/walk in Germiston town and see the water flowing for weeks and bugger-all gets done, what is the turnaround time for repairs? 30 days?”
“Metro doesn’t fix leaks and now they want people to use what they waste sparingly, are they mad?” asked Nchimane Mochaki.
Sandra Bradford voiced her concerns on the GCN Facebook page: “I was not aware that the water supply was going to be interrupted, I was not notified and as far as I know many residents in Hazeldene are also oblivious to this notification.
“We have been without water for four days now, totally ridiculous and frustrating, not to mention unhealthy and unhygienic.
“And where do we go for the water tanks mentioned in the letter?”
“I think the metro should take their own advice, and use water sparingly and not have 12 giant sprinklers going in Germiston Lake, whilst residents of Lambton sit with no water at all,” stated yet another angry resident.
It has been reported that, since as far back as last Monday, the following areas have been affected with low water pressure or no water supply at all:
- Lambton
- Hazeldene
- Hazel Park
- Albemarle
- Wadeville
- Dinwiddie
- Norton Small Farms
- Buhle Park (Klippoortjie Park)
- Castleview.
The GCN approached the metro for urgent comment on the situation, and was given the following information: ”Following reports of low water pressure and no water in various parts of the region, since Friday, the metro is calling on its residents to reduce their water consumption.”
The GCN once again mentioned the number of complaints we had received from residents throughout Germiston and Themba Gadebe, of the metro’s communication and brand management department, commented, on Thursday, that “the problems residents are experiencing with water supply interruption are due to a problem with the supply to the Russell Reservoir.”
He reported that the water supply to areas of Benoni, which experienced similar problems, has been restored to normal.
“The areas of Benoni, Brakpan, Tsakane and Germiston have, over the past days, been experiencing low water pressure or no water at all, especially during peak hour demand periods,” he added.
“The water in the reservoirs has gone below the minimum required levels, due to high demand.
“Our investigation of the situation, at this stage, has revealed that there is extremely high water usage, which could be attributed to the hot weather.
“To stabilise the water situation, all water users are requested to use water sparingly, by stopping all forms of irrigation, washing of vehicles and filling of swimming pools.
“Residents are also urged to report any burst pipe and repair leaks on their properties, to avoid water losses.”
The municipality went on to apologise for any inconvenience caused through the unplanned water interruption.
“We assure all consumers that technical maintenance teams from the metro are working very hard to ensure that supply is restored,” Gadebe said.
”Water tankers will be provided for basic household needs, and information on the location of the tankers will be communicated to the press soon.”
The GCN is still attempting to getting further information on the situation from the metro.
At the time of going to press nothing further had been received.
Related articles:
Metro shares its plans to control the water demand.
Metro appeals to community to use water sparingly.
Residents of Germiston left without water for days.
More water being consumed due to the hot weather.
