Trouble bubbles over in Blairgowrie
BLAIRGOWRIE – One burst pipe on Morell Avenue, which is as old as two years, was finally repaired only for a sinkhole to develop there in the past month.
There have been at least four water pipe bursts in Blairgowrie in recent weeks, and this is a problematic trend that is not slowing down.
So said Ward 99 councillor Nicole van Dyk, who was glad Johannesburg Water had attended to bursts on Sue Avenue, Barkston Drive and Mackay Avenue.
One burst pipe on Morell Avenue, which is as old as two years, was finally repaired only for a sinkhole to develop there in the past month.
“There are bursts persistently in Blairgowrie and if something is not done soon we could have a major problem down the line,” Van Dyk said.
“The pipe on Sue Avenue has, alone, burst seven or eight times in the last few months. The City repairs the pipe again and again but what they need is better material so it does not repeat.”
Johannesburg Water spokesperson, Eleanor Mavimbela said the burst pipes were caused by ageing infrastructure.
“All the reported burst pipes were attended to and we used the approved material,” she said.
“Where the burst pipes were on the road, we could not reinstate the tar, however, we referred tar reinstatement to JRA. Currently, we are checking the outstanding reinstatements in Blairgowrie so that we can do a follow-up with JRA.”
