Water pipe bursting now routine
Pretoria East resident struggles with continually bursting water pipes.
A pipe that bursts as a matter of routine in Koelman Street in Ashlea Gardens has become a nightmare for residents.
The water pipe, which was repaired on Sunday, sprung a serious leak for the 10th time in just a few months, said resident Nick Saks.
Saks (67) said the pipe underneath his front garden and driveway had been a constant nightmare. “The pipe often bursts and causes damage to property each time.”
Saks said the pipe had been leaking for some time, but the metro repaired it on Sunday 10 May.
“The immense amount of water caused damage to my garden and to my driveway. Not only to mine, but other residents and the church in Koelman Street as well.”
He said the metro repaired the pipe, but left a large hole in his garden. “I suspect it might just be to easily repair it the next time it bursts.”
Residents across the city have been struggling with ageing water infrastructure for some time now.
It was recently revealed that 136 000 metres of water pipes in the east of Pretoria urgently needed to be replaced.
Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Duncan Baker said a shortage of money, artisans and spares to service a very large area had hampered the replacement of the pipes.
Baker added funding was being requested to fix the problem and work would soon start on the replacement of some 2 500 metres of pipes in Elardus Park.
“The aim is to eventually replace some 136 000 metres of water pipes in the east,” he said, “and in the meantime work was ongoing to set priorities in terms of the age of pipes, types of soil and leaks reported.”
Metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba acknowledged the problem. “We acknowledge the water network in that area needs refurbishment.”
He sought to assure residents that the matter was being treated as a priority.
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