Johannesburg – Mop-up operations continued on Monday morning after the massive burst of an underground pipe in the Meyersdal/Alberton area on Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of rands worth of damage to property was sustained by residents whose homes and vehicles were flooded out. The extent of the pressure of the water was so bad that entire roads were washed away. The burst happened on water mains pipe between Bassonia Rock Estate and the Meyersdal Eco Estate.
Ward councillor Sarah Wissler said the exact extent of the damage was still being assessed by Rand Water.
Many affected residents had been relocated to guest houses as they could not stay in the homes which were filled with water and mud. Some 15 homes were affected, she said.
“This is the main feeder line in the area, so it involved a lot of water. I myself lost my shoes and was nearly swept away. The water, in places, was calf high. The pressure was so great that windows were blown out,” she said.
Wissler said Rand Water, which is responsible for the pipe, was “fantastic and professional in the way they dealt with the burst”.
“They were on site immediately and turned off the water and diverted it to another pipe so that neighbouring suburbs would not be without water, It was a real joy to work with them,” she said.
She also praised the neighbouring local residents whom, she said, had come out in support armed with spades, wheelbarrows and buckets to remove debris so residents could re-enter their homes to start cleaning up.
Residents helping with clean up after the Bassonia Flood @LinusMullerSA @HermanMashaba @kevin_wax @DavidCOJ102 @MaddiebHicklin pic.twitter.com/1iLg8WgcFx
— Cllr Sarah Wissler (@sahara67) January 1, 2017
Devastation from Bassonia RandWater Chamber flood this morning. @LinusMullerSA @HermanMashaba @CoJSpeaker @kevin_wax @MannydeFreitas pic.twitter.com/vuvVnBuGHp
— Cllr Sarah Wissler (@sahara67) January 1, 2017
The City of Joburg member of the mayoral committee for Corporate and Shared Services, Anthony Still was also on the scene and arranged for graders to scrape the tarmac so residents could remove their vehicles.
Rand Water confirmed that it’s pipe had burst and said technical teams had immediately isolated the pipe so surrounding areas did not experience water shortages.
Spokesman Justice Mohale said restoration to the damaged pipe will take up to 24 hours.
“Rand Water officials have also been engaging with the affected homeowners to assess the damage to their properties,” he said.
Affected resident Anton Bekker said he has lost everything.
“We were in Margate on on holiday but had to cut it short. We arrived home to a complete mess. We have lost all our furniture and appliances and are trying to salvage some clothing. I don’t know what’s going to happen. We have to start school and work and our lives are in abeyance,” he said, speaking from a guest lodge to which he was moved.
@annacox