Frustration spills over in Pretoria Gardens about repeated reservoir overflow
Residents are concerned about the long-term effects of the spillages on their properties and have urged the metro to find a permanent solution to the cause of the leakages.
A wave of frustration is growing in Pretoria Gardens as residents continue to experience constant flooding in their homes due to spillages from the nearby reservoir.
Ward 1 councillor Leon Kruyshaar said the Hercules East Reservoir had caused significant problems for residents after recent frequent spillages from the facility.
“This has led to property damage, including flooding, foundation cracks, and electrical issues, with residents expressing deep concern and frustration,” he said.
According to Kruyshaar, the spillages began over six months ago.
He said these would occur at least once a month. However, they have been happening more frequently.
“The incidents started increasing from once a month to almost weekly occurrences.”
He said, despite repeated reports of the spillages from the reservoir, the metro has not taken any action for a permanent solution.
“We have submitted previous reports to the city’s bulk water division, which unfortunately haven’t led to a resolution,” he said.
Kruyshaar criticised the metro’s strategy for addressing the cause of the reservoir spill, claiming it does not fully address the issue.
“They come and fix when we report, but a week later, another spillage occurs and continues to flood homes.”
He raised concerns about the amount of clean water that is lost due to the frequent spills.
“Thousands of litres of clean drinking water are being lost as it spills down the mountain to the streets.”
He then urged the metro to treat the spillages from the reservoir with urgency.
“Given the impact on residents and the potential for further damage, it’s essential for the city to prioritise this issue and work towards a long-term solution.”
He said the metro must immediately do appropriate reservoir maintenance and address the underlying cause of the spill.
“It’s clear that the city needs to take immediate and comprehensive action to address the root causes of the problem, which could include structural issues, overfilling, faulty valves or pipe damage.”
Kruyshaar further outlined the actions he believes the metro should take to resolve the issue of frequent spillages from the reservoir.
“Regular inspections and repairs, maintaining proper water levels, and the upgrading of infrastructure are crucial for resolving the issue and preventing future occurrences.”
He said upgrading the telemetry level control system to prevent vandalism and ensure proper management is also a key step that needs to be taken by the metro.
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Residents expressed their frustration caused by the reservoir spillage.
“Since we live down the road, water flows from the reservoir into our homes and floods our yards,” said Amelia Williams.
“It’s very worrying when the spillages occur because you know that your yard will get wet.”
She shared that the long-term effects of the frequent flooding in her home are worrying her.
“The water drains into the foundation, and if this continues, surely it will start cracking up because it is slowly getting ruined,” she said.
Annamarie Strydom shared her frustration with the aftermath of water that runs down the road when spillages occur.
“The water that comes down from the reservoir drags down debris into stormwater drains, making our streets dirty. It is frustrating because it also causes blockages.
“Every time a spillage occurs, we have to go out in the streets and clean the debris,” she said.
She questioned the responsibilities of people managing the reservoir, especially when it has problems.
“There’s security at the reservoir, so why is it that we have to report issues when there are people guarding the reservoir?” she asked.
“Surely this is not the residents’ problem but the municipality’s.”
Willie Kruger said they often experience water interruptions when the spillages occur.
“Often when there’s a spillage, we know that we will be experiencing water outages soon. We can’t relax because at any time you might hear that there are water outages in the area and it is so frustrating to deal with.”
The metro was contacted for a comment, but had yet to respond at the time of publication.
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