Earlier today, 3 March, Rand Water needed to decommission the Eikenhof Pump Station in order to repair an air valve on the Q2 pipeline that failed, resulting in a water pipe bursting in Naturena.
The air valve failure comes after the unsuccessful valve replacements Rand Water attempted over the weekend. When the entity attempted to recommission the affected pipelines, the air valve failed. Rand Water and Joburg Water have released a statement with both good and bad news.
On the positive side, the burst pipe has been repaired and the Eikenhof Pump Station has been switched back on, subsequently starting the recommissioning process so the water supply should be restored soon.
On the negative side, an exact time of restoration has not been released, but earlier reports from both water entities suggest that the recommissioning process can take several hours to reach completion, especially for the high-lying areas that need to wait for water pressure to build. This entire process has left the Meredale and Waterval reservoirs at critically low levels, which unfortunately will affect some other reservoirs and water towers negatively.
The water entities have said that the pump station is currently pumping water at maximum flow, but they have admitted that despite this, they are not seeing an improvement in reservoir levels. Joburg Water has promised to keep residents updated through their social media platforms (@JHBWater for Twitter and Johannesburg Water for Facebook), and the Record will also post updates as information is received.
To assist residents who are without water, the water tanks that were placed throughout the city over the weekend have not been removed and have been refilled.
The locations for these water tanks:
• Alwyn Road and Babiana Street, Roodekrans
• Commando and Main Reef Roads, Riverlea
• Jukskei Drive, Riverlea
• Crown informal settlement
• Japura village on the corner of Erythrina Road, Riverlea (for senior citizens)
• At the BP Garage on the corner of Gordon Road and Bergbron Drive
• Crosby Clinic
• Brixton Police Station, corner High Street and Mercury Street
• Rahima Moosa Hospital
• Slovo Park informal settlement
• Riverlea Recreation Centre
• Kathrada Park informal settlement, Newclare
• Edward Road, Sophiatown
• 46 Wilma Street, Montclare
• A truck will roam the areas of Quellerina and Florida Glen
• Sophiatown Clinic and Fire Station – a truck will be roaming the area
• A water tanker will be pumping water to Helen Joseph Hospital
• Corner Willow and Mimosa Road, Fairview
• Corner Taaibos and Acacia Road
• Corner of Weltevreden and Shaka Roads
• Corner Golf Club Terrace and Joachim van Plettenberg, Constantia Kloof
• Bertha Avenue, Florida North
• Bruno Drive, Florida North
• Louanna Avenue, Constantia Kloof
• Okkerneut Street, Constantia Kloof
• On the border of Bergbron Drive and Whiteridge
See if your area may be affected by the low reservoir levels here: Water pressure dwindles as Rand Water works to fix a burst pipe
