Cape Town - Pipe bursts and resulting infrastructure damage remain an issue of concern as the City’s Water and Sanitation Department attended to emergency repairs yesterday and Sunday after a severe leak in the 915mm diameter bulk water pipeline in Ottery.
Residents in Lotus River, Ottery, Grassy Park, Parkwood, Strandfontein, Pelican Heights, Pelican Park, Eagle Park, Knole Park, Turfhall Park, Schaapkraal and Far South areas were either without water completely or were subject to disrupted water supply while the repairs took place.
Water and Sanitation Mayco member Zahid Badroodien said the magnitude of the repairs required the water supply to be shut down in order to safely undertake the necessary work.
“As of yesterday, the teams have not been able to contain the leak despite having shut off the supply to the affected pipe. This is as a result of additional flows into the pipe that needs to be traced and shut down. If this is not possible it will mean that a bigger 2 400mm pipe is closed in order to reach the pipe to do the necessary work.” said Badroodien.
He said repairs were progressing slowly because the department needed to contend with the inflow of water as they tried to clear the pipe section that needed to be replaced.
“The rerouting of alternate water supply has reduced the number of areas significantly to the point that most areas have water, but at low pressure. It is anticipated that the work will be completed tomorrow,” Badroodien said.
The disruption proved to be a large inconvenience to many residents as Strandfontein councillor Elton Jansen said he was inundated with calls and messages asking when water would be restored and where the water tankers were.
Jansen said the water tankers were prioritised to assist schools in the vicinity while those with low water pressure were advised that the tanker would not be coming as they were only sent to areas where there was no water.
As the teams have been on shift since Saturday evening, Grassy Park councillor Donovan Nelson dropped off some much-needed refreshments to keep the team going and give them an extra boost to continue the repair work.
In addition, Wynberg councillor Carmen Siebrtiz said residents in the area also experienced water disruptions after a different pipe burst on the corner of Kent and Ross roads on Sunday.