The burst of two major pipes and vandalism along the C11 pipeline have left parts of Joburg dry, including critical health facilities.
The major maintenance by Rand Water, supposedly completed, has only added to Joburg’s water woes.
Rand Water’s maintenance messed up the system with many areas experiencing outages, WaterCAN’s Dr Ferrial Adam said.
“That Rand Water update is outrageous. Basically, they have caused problems and are now washing their hands of it.
“Large parts of Johannesburg did not recover from the maintenance – Yeoville and Berea only got water yesterday,” she said.
Pipeline bursts after Zwartkopjes work
Following the Zwartkopjes maintenance work, Rand Water started charging the system immediately but two pipes burst on the C11 pipeline between Zwartkopjes Farm and the Mall of the South, Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said.
The air valves at those locations had been vandalised while the pipeline was in isolation during the maintenance work at the Zwartkopjes Booster Pumping Station, Maroo said.
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Vandalism blamed for water upsurge and delays
“As a result of the internal pressure during recharging, both compromised air valves were blown off, causing a water upsurge visible from kilometres away.
“The valves were subsequently repaired and the pipeline was recommissioned in the early hours of Saturday. The impacted system, Forest Hill, is in the recovery stage,” she said.
“It is worth noting that the affected section passes through informal settlements and these areas are notorious for vandalising Rand Water infrastructure.
“The entity continues to caution communities not to tamper with highly pressurised pipelines as this may lead to fatalities,” Maroo said.
Malvern Clinic left dry and dysfunctional
DA Gauteng shadow MEC for health Jack Bloom has written to MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to intervene urgently to ensure that Malvern Clinic in east Johannesburg has a reliable water supply.
They have been without water for six weeks, Bloom said.
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“Their current crisis is the lack of piped water for six weeks due to local supply disruptions. They have a water tank, but they need to use buckets to access it and it is not safe to drink.
“There is an infection risk as they are unable to wash their hands under running water. Urine tests and stool samples also cannot be done,” Bloom said.
Sanitation concerns and calls for urgent action
“If patients need the toilet, including those with diarrhoea, they are told to go home or to the nearby McDonalds or a local petrol station. The clinic also closes two hours early – at 2pm, rather than 4pm,” he said.
“This clinic falls under the Joburg council and sees 5 000 patients a month. It is appalling that the council has not acted to ensure a proper water supply and fix the poor infrastructure and safety issues.”
The existing water tank needs to be placed on a concrete base and connected with a pump to the pipes, Bloom said.
“This will not be expensive and should be done urgently.”
Bloom said DA councillor Neuren Pietersen will request an inspection by the council’s Section 79 health oversight committee, following a complaint lodged with Joburg Water as to why the clinic was affected so badly by water supply problems.
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