Once again it was a case of water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink – and this in the wake of one of the most serious water shortages the capital has experienced in recent times.
And once again it was the Menlo Park stormwater canal project which seemed to be never without problems. Contractors frequently have to work there, fixing electrical cables, water pipes and sewer pipes.
This week, when contractors were removing rubble around a main water pipe running along Brooks Street, they found it to be burst, due to erosion. The matter was reported immediately to the relevant department for repair.
Community councillor Siobhan Muller called the appropriate people for the repair to ensure residents did not remain without water.
“On the second day, when the water was still pumping out of the eroded pipe, the departments were contacted again, with promises that it would be repaired that morning. Another 24 hours passed with no repair happening, and thousands of kilolitres of water were lost which the ratepayers will have to pay for. By then the pipe had burst open totally, spewing water into the storm water canal for hours. Finally, late afternoon of the third day, the water was turned off,’’ Muller said.
When she enquired at the sewage and electrical department office, she was told there had been no gas in the stores to weld the pipes, and this was why there was such a delay in repairing the pipes.
“How is it possible that three months into the tax year, there is no stock in the stores? Instead the ratepayers will have to pay for all the wasted water when all it would have needed was gas for the welder? ” Muller asked.
This goes hand in hand with a water leak at the Menlo Park garden refuse site where a water leak took six months to repair. Broken traffic lights at the intersection of Atterbury and Justus Mahomed (Charles) Street just west of the N1 have been down for ten days, with numerous irate motorists and residents reporting it to the municipality, but with no response to when or whether it was going to be repaired.
“We were all hopeful that with the new tax year the situation would improve regarding service delivery, but three months into the financial year we are told constantly there is no budget left, ” said Muller.
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