Water leak disruption in Ballito

An unexpected water leak on Dolphin Crescent, Ballito, caused some traffic disruptions on Thursday when a section of the road next to the Waterberry Coffee Shoppe was reported to be flooding.

Sembcorp Siza Water responded to the call at about 7.30am and soon found that the leak was caused by a nearby tree inside the Waterberry’s property.

Plumber at Sembcorp Siza Water, Derrick Mgenge said that after a quick evaluation beneath the road’s surface, he found that large roots from an old milkwood tree just metres away had been squeezing the water-pipes, causing one to rupture and sprout a leak.

“We had to close the road for a few hours because the tree’s roots had grown around the pipe at different points right across the width of the road, but we repaired the pipe and installed a sleeve to protect it from the tree’s roots in the future,” said Mgenge, who was the lead plumber supervising the repair.

The section of the road is no longer closed and traffic was flowing freely on Dolphin Crescent by late afternoon.