Water restored to lower Witpoortjie
One leak sorted, but issues could persist, says operations manager.
Water was restored to lower Witpoortjie (Ext 13 and 14) just after 2pm today (Tuesday 19 September) after Joburg Water detected the issue.
Since Heritage Day last week households’ water taps have run dry only to be restored for a short period between Sunday and Monday. However, last night residents returned home to find the drought is back.
A leak was found in a main water line on corner Leerdam and Dromedaris Streets this morning after a special team from Joburg Water inspected the area. According to operations manager Siphiwe Mabizela on scene, contractors had damaged a main water line over the weekend while installing optic fibre cables. These installations, masked behind orange barricade material, can be seen all over Witpoortjie. The Record could not yet establish which company is handling the project.
“They drilled here on Saturday and apparently hit one of the main lines; it wasn’t immediately reported to Joburg Water,” Mabizela said.
When probed about low water pressure affecting the neighbourhood the past few months, Mabizela said his team would first sort out the major leak before investigating what else might contribute thereto.
Joburg Water spokesperson David Sibiya in an earlier interview committed the utility to monitoring the situation and coming up with interventions to prevent further problems.
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Also read: Taps continually runs dry in Witpoortjie
Electrical failure to affect water supply
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