Constant leaks, bursts frustrate Ridge Road residents
According to residents leaks and bursts occur on a weekly basis, often leaving them frustrated while also damaging infrastructure.
CONSTANT leaks, burst pipes and water outages have been the bane of existence for many residents on Ridge Road over the last few months.
Residents say on average there are two leaks or bursts a week which have also impacted the condition of the road, and led to sand and debris blocking stormwater drains.
On Saturday (April 18), Ward 35 councillor Bradley Singh called a street meeting with concerned and affected residents.
In focus is a stretch of around 200m where issues occur, leading to the intersection of Ridge Road and Melkhout Road.
Also read: Residents of Ward 36 protest over water supply outage
Another concern for residents is water pressure which they feel may be leading to the bursts and leaks, with some residents having bursts inside their property lines.
“We have continuous burst pipes in our property. The change in the pressure when the water returns leads to issues within our property which we are now liable for,” said Ridge Road resident Riette Theunissen. “We have water supply issues on a weekly basis. We feel the eThekwini Municipality need to regulate the pressure, running down the hill. Because we are on the slope, we often have sand and loose stone blocking drainage and a nearby stormwater drain.”
Snezana Gnjatic, who owns a guesthouse, said she has had to invest in JoJo tanks to mitigate the lack of water.
“We had to pay R70 000 for a JoJo tank, an expense we had not planned on. This stretch of road is very problematic and we hope to engage with an engineer to look at the pressure issue and give residents a definitive answer as to what the municipality is doing to address this,” she said.
Representing the City at the meeting was Simamisa Mkhize of the community services division of eThekwini Water Services (EWS).
Also read: Wasted water irks Park Hill resident
While he admitted he was not a technician, he said he would take the matters raised at the meeting to senior EWS officials.
Other issues raised by residents were quality control, as in who was supervising and ensuring work carried out by contractors was up to standard.
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