Johannesburg Water contractor runs after damaging a pipe while filling a hole
During the backfilling of a repair site, the Johannesburg Water team damaged the pipe before jumping into their truck and driving away.
A resident on Susman Avenue in Blairgowrie was left in shock as a Johannesburg Water (JW) contractor fled, leaving behind water gushing out of the pipe they damaged.
What began as a normal reinstatement in a trench that was dug to fix a pipe burst became a new issue. As the contractor was closing the hole, they damaged the pipe again, leaving water gushing out.
Muddy water filled the hole and flowed into a property nearby, flowing through garage doors and flooding the house.
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Resident Angela Joseph explained that the contractors fled the scene as soon as the damage was done.
“The gardener, who was working next door, chased them, but they never stopped. After they left, the muddy river began to run through my fence and my garage door.
It is difficult to understand how, once they saw they had damaged the large pipe, they drove away instead of dealing with it.” Joseph has had to open a pathway to direct the water to the road. She added that JW needs to deal with the contractors responsible.
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Ward 99 councillor Hendrick Bodenstein visited the site. He said that the contractors should have at least closed the valves and tried to fix the issue.
“Luckily, the resident was home when this happened. Imagine if she were not, as [the contractor] didn’t make a plan to stop the leak or to direct water away from the property.”
Bodenstein also raised safety concerns, as the leak is on the pavement and next to a school. “They are nonchalant when it comes to their workmanship. This is one of many holes in Blairgowrie, and they are not small.
@caxtonjoburgnorth A major pipe burst, caused by a JW contractor, who was trying to fill a trench on Susman Avenue in Blairgowrie. Video: Mthulisi Lwazi Khuboni #Localnews #caxtonlocalmedia #trendingvideo #johannesburg #SA #News #johannesburgwater ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
We keep getting messages that they are running out of water, and we should conserve, but they allow this to happen.”
Questions were sent to JW, and their response will be published once it is made available.
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