Thousands of litres of fresh water being wasted
Concerned resident airs his frustration about an ongoing leak.
A WESTVILLE resident is at his wit’s end with thousands of litres of water running across his driveway due to a water leak.
Brent Massey told the Highway Mail that this is the third week the water has been leaking, and nothing has been done about it.
The frustrated resident said he first reported the leak on Friday, October 13.
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“I noticed water bubbling out of the ground, running through my yard and down my driveway. I went to check my water meter, and it was not turning. I then turned the water mains off at my residence to see if the water flow would stop, and of course, it didn’t,” explained Massey.
What’s more, the resident is concerned that this may erode his bank.
Massey said that even though he is not a plumber, he believes the leak is from a municipal water pipe.
“I then called and logged a call. It took me over a week of calling just to be told that the matter had been escalated. My issue here is that how can such a simple repair to a water pipe need to be escalated – can the person working in the office not send out a plumber to do the repair?” asked the resident.
On Tuesday, October 24, municipal workers came out. “I showed them where the water was leaking and suggested they start looking for the leak at my water meter which is situated near the main road.
Also read: Unrepaired water leak damages Glenpark property
“They drove their vehicle to where my water meter is situated, they walked around for a few minutes and then they never once took out any tools and even tried to locate the leak. They got back in their vehicle and left, without providing any feedback,” he said.
The resident said they resorted to calling in a private plumber who detected the leak, however, the plumber told them he cannot repair the pipe as it is a municipal water pipe.
“Fresh water is a valuable natural resource, and it concerns me that we have lost thousands of litres,” he said.
eThekwini Municipality did not comment by the time of going to print.
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