Theft of air valve caused pipe to burst
WELTEVREDEN PARK - Councillor urged residents to be vigilant and report people that appear out of place in suburb.
A burst early on 4 June caused quite a stir in Weltevreden Park when a water piped spewed water 5 meters into the air on the corner of Beyers Naude Drive and Jim Fouche Road. The burst started at around 2am in the morning according to Ward 126 councillor Mike Tonkin. Four hours later when traffic was at it worst during peak hour a piece of the embankment broke off into the road due to the fact that it was drenched with water. Soil landed on the left lane of Jim Fouche Road and this made it impassible and difficult for motorists to use.
Johannesburg Water spokesperson Millicent Kabwe said that the entity was initially unaware of the situation until they sent out a team at around 11am to assess the burst pipe. “We were shocked when we discovered that an air valve was stolen. The pressure caused damage to a pipe that was close to it which caused the large fountain of water.” Tonkin explained further that residents need to be vigilant and report any strange people that are lurking around the suburb to the police. “I commend the motorists for being calm during the traffic jams that were caused by the burst and I want to thank the Water entity for their fast response to the situation.
