Residents plead for new pipes after taps run dry
REPETITIVE underground water pipe breakages in Queensburgh and Malvern have left residents frustrated.
The disruption of their water supply has prompted them to ask the municipality to replace their ageing pipe system.
On Tuesday, a pipe burst under a resident’s driveway at the intersection of Jo-Naude Road and Byron Place, causing damage to the road surface, which cracked and caved in.
Resident Pal Molver said her husband and son had to stay at home because their driveway was cut off from the road by the breakage in the road surface.
“We woke up in the morning and realised that there was no water supply. When we investigated, we found water gushing from cracks in the road outside.
“We were without tap water for several hours. Luckily, there was a water tanker for the residents,” said Molver.
“We did not want to take a chance driving out onto the road in case it caved in. Contractors have done patch-up jobs along this road, which is annoying,” she said.
Ward councillor André Mitchell said the entire Queensburgh road infrastructure was damaged by burst water pipes.
“The biggest problem facing eThekwini is the AC water replacement project which has been put on hold.
“It has not reached Ross- burgh or Queensburgh as yet. These pipes are 40 years old. They need to be replaced,” Mitchell said.
The municipality’s head of water and sanitation, Neil Macleod, said it was difficult to say when the old asbestos pipes would be replaced.
He said other roads in the municipality had a higher priority when it came to pipe replacements.
He said the cause of the burst and broken pipes was due to pressure surges as a result of the initial burst.
“Once the piping starts failing in an area, the frequency of bursts usually increases with time. Some streets have had up to 80 bursts before we were able to replace the pipes,” Macleod said.
Another cause, he said, was the settlement of the trench after backfilling, which causes the AC pipe to break near the initial burst.
Mitchell attributed the main cause of the bursts to the connection between the old asbestos pipes and the PVC pipes.
However, Macleod said the pipes were compatible.
“There are connectors available that make it possible to connect pipes made from different materials,” he said.