JW still has no answer for burst on Nerina Street
The Nerina Street pipe burst continues to spray out water, causing further damage to the road.
Water continues to spray out of the pipe on Nerina Street, Kensington B, months after it was reported, with two failed repair attempts from Johannesburg Water (JW).
The Nerina Street pipe burst has been going for four months, with the entity failing to patch the pipe. The water has been causing further damage to the pavement, and an excavation, made to expose the pipe, left rubble and a hole in one of the lanes of the road, forcing motorists to use the other lane, causing traffic delays.
Read more: Johannesburg Water finally attends to leak in Robin Hill
Ward 104 councillor Emi Koekemoer said: “I spoke to the depot manager a month ago and he indicated that the contractors are devising a plan on how to fix the repair, without switching off the water, but nothing since.”
The entity has isolated (closed) water before, due to the pipe burst on Nerina Street, and residents in the area experienced poor pressure to no water. Affected areas included Bordeaux, Ferndale, Blairgowrie, Moret, Kensington B, and parts of Bryanston. Despite that, the burst could not be fixed.
Nombuso Shabalala, spokesperson for JW, said, in April, that the repair needed special material, which, at the time, the depot did not have in storage. As a result, an order had to be placed for the material, which had to be procured. The pipe was then repaired on April 11, but then burst again. She explained that there is a combination of factors that may cause a pipe to burst. Some of the causes include: fluctuations in working and residual pressures, time of day, demand, usage, etc.
“The latter variables lead to air pockets entering the system that can, ultimately, result in a water hammer,” she explained. The term: water hammer, refers to a pressure surge from a rapid change in the flow velocity where pressure at the point of the burst exceeds the design pressure of the pipeline. “This phenomenon is often exacerbated by ageing infrastructure, subsoil conditions, high water table, seasonal temperature fluctuations, and other factors beyond the control of JW.”
Koekemoer explained that she is deeply concerned about the water loss caused by the burst. “The reality is that there are many leaks and bursts accounting for a massive portion of the city’s water losses, which should be a concern to us all.”
She added that, aside from the obvious excavations impeding traffic, as there are three schools and businesses nearby, the burst is also eroding at the storm water system, and any loss of water is revenue not collected, which affects long-term budget availability for basic services.
More questions were sent to the entity, but they had not replied by the time of print.
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