Broken storm water drains a dangerous eyesore for residents, commuters and pedestrians
Situation in Welridge mirrors that of suburbs across Johannesburg.
Not in keeping with the suburb’s desired aesthetics, broken storm water drains are also a safety risk.
In her capacity at Welridge Residents Association chairperson, Audrey Vrachionidis has been seeking answers to relay to her suburb.
Several enquiries to Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) regarding the storm water drains in the area have gone unattended to and the covers deteriorate as they wait. Majority of the concrete drain outlets are in a state of disrepair or are gaping holes along the verges of the streets.
JRA relayed that they believe the causes of the poor condition of the drain are two-fold.
The drains are in such a state because of bad driving. Drivers knock them down. Furthermore, the support which is made of steel becomes exposed to steel recyclers,” said JRA’s media officer, Kelebogile Mafa.
Asked if alternative materials had been considered, Mafa responded, “Over the years, concrete slabs have proven to be stronger because they are reinforced with steel on the inside. Any other metal material would attract theft.”
The drain covers across the city are not uniform, creating an additional logistical challenge when carrying out basic functions.
“Refurbishment of drains is actually part of the routine maintenance. It must be noted that various regions have different drain covers; meaning, the suppliers do not necessarily have the supplies for all regions. As such, the acquisition time frame can be longer,” stated Mafa.
Those wishing to report broken or dangerous storm water drains may report all road defects to the City of Johannesburg’s call centre on 0860 562 874 or 011 375 5555. Alternatively, residents may use JRA’s social media platforms, @MyJra on Twitter and the Facebook page Johannesburg Roads Agency. Once a call is logged, the complainant will receive a reference number which can be used to track the status of the query. Escalations of logged calls or queries can be sent to the JRA email hotline at hotline@jra.org.za.
