Cape Town - Teams from the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation directorate have been attending to emergency repairs of a massive pipe burst on the 375mm pipe that supplies water to Simon’s Town and surrounding area for a total six days now.
This case was proving to be one the City’s most severe pipe bursts as the teams managing the repairs have been working in 24-hour shifts since April 30 to complete the emergency repairs in the difficult and steep terrain the pipe was located in.
Water and Sanitation Mayco member Zahid Badroodien, said that because of the terrain “the team used large concrete volumes to settle the newly installed pipeline”.
“The method will reduce underground movement of the pipes once backfilling is complete.
“Pipe joints are sensitive to movement and shifting ground can cause leaks when enough force is applied,” he said.
On Tuesday the pipeline was done and the teams just had to make sure everything was secure and stable, the next step was to turn the water back on and find out if the pipe would hold, but during this process the teams discovered a leak at a coupling joint.
Badroodien said the team found a secondary leak at a coupling joint further up the line when testing the system on Wednesday.
“The team is working on the newly identified leak. Residents can make use of water trucks stationed at the Simon’s Town Railway Station and King George Road.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to residents and will do everything possible to resolve the situation,” Badroodien said.