A planned water shutdown on February 22 turned into somewhat of a nightmare for many residents.
The shutdown did not go as planned as the water and sanitation department was still finalising the sourcing of equipment,” Themba Gadebe, metro spokesman, reacted when questioned about why the shutdown lasted longer than scheduled.
There were also a number of calls from other areas in Kempton Park and the work therefore had to be postponed to allow other areas to be attended to first, he said.
The shutdown lasted from 8pm on Monday, February 22, to about 5.30pm the next day. The maintenance work was supposed to have been done by 3am on Tuesday.
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“There were delays at the corner of Albatross and Gladiator streets in Rhodesfield where the pipe had to be welded and aligned on site. The department managed to attend five of the six areas of repairs which were scheduled. Water tankers were provided in areas affected. When requested, the department responded by sending mobile water tanks where needed.”
The department also had a challenge of water interruptions on Partridge Avenue in extension 4 and in Allen Grove, where they discovered there was a failure of pressure reducing valves. These valves failed in the closed position and residents were left without water. The department managed to identify the challenges and the valves were repaired and the supply was restored.
As the replacement of valves, which was supposed to have been done as per the planned shutdown on February 22, was not achieved, the department requested another shutdown last night to finalise the repairs.
The planned shutdown was supposed to address the matter of continuous water interruptions in the CBD, Nimrod Park, Allen Grove and Kempton Park ext 4.
During the time when Kempton Park CBD, Rhodesfield, Kempton Park extensions, Aston Manor, Nimrod Park, Allen Grove, Glen Erasmia, Pomona and Bredell were affected by the shutdown, a pipe burst in Edleen, leaving more people waterless.
Gadebe said the pipes in Edleen are mostly asbestos and are aging. It has been placed on the multi-year pipe replacement programme which covers all wards in Kempton Park.
Throughout the water downtime the department has communicated with affected ward councillors.
