Pipe burst replay leaves more damage
Alida de Beer
There was a strong sense of déjà vu on Sunday 29 July when the eastern main water pipeline burst for the second time in a week between the Kraaibosch Manor offices and Tavcor York. A torrent caused a freshly rebuilt boundary wall at Tavcor York to topple over onto vehicles, only a week after the exact same thing happened. This time around, the Master Cars showroom was also flooded.
The water again flooded parts of Kraaibosch Manor in the area where the two breakages occurred. Residents once again had no water in the taps from Sunday till Tuesday night, but water tankers were supplied.
According to Christa Koen, Tavcor York sales manager, the wall was completed on Thursday and the mortar had not yet set when the water came. “There was severe damage to two cars. This time the water must have had extra force, because the showroom was also under water,” she said.
This latest breakage is the third in the eastern mainline since 2016. All of the bursts occurred in a stretch of the pipeline between the Kraaibosch Manor offices and Tavcor York.
Chantel Edwards-Klose, municipal media communications chief, said the civil engineering services directorate is investigating the cause of this latest burst. “There are a number of factors that need to be considered and it is not possible to pinpoint any one thing at this time.”
Danie Schmidt, Kraaibosch Manor’s manager, said the municipality’s response was faster this time. The weekend before last, it was almost two hours before they arrived at the site and water gushed out for more than eight hours before the line was shut off.
“This time it took them 90 minutes to shut the system down. Emergency Services was here very fast and took charge immediately. The service was a thousand times better than the previous weekend.” He said there is again damage to residents’ homes and the restoration work they had started in the gardens has been washed away.