Cops needed a ‘flushing hand’ when pipe burst
Seven burst water pipes left parts of Krugersdorp without water this week to the extent that the local fire department had to lend their police colleagues a “flushing hand”.
Mark Trump, the councillor for Ward 20 in Mogale City, was the man who initially came to the cops’ rescue.
“Between Saturday and Monday, seven water pipes burst in Krugersdorp. A lot of people were affected, including the police station, the magistrate’s court, Paardekraal Primary School, and some old-age homes,” Trump said on Friday.
“The first to go was a pipe in Biccard Street, which [runs] between the magistrate’s court and the police station. Then one burst in 4th Street, followed by one in Onderste Street, another on the corner of Pretoria and Mark streets, and then ones in Kruger Street and President Street. The first one to burst, the pipe in Biccard Street, was fixed by then, but it burst again, so repairs had to start from scratch.”
On Sunday, with large parts of the town left high and dry, Trump received a cry for help.
“A high-ranking police officer said they urgently needed water at the police station. They could not even flush their loos. I believe in lending a helping hand where I can or, failing that, making a plan. In this case, we lent them a flushing hand.”
Trump called the local fire department.
“I spoke to the acting fire chief, and on Monday he sent his team with a fire engine to the police station to help,” Trump said.
The ageing water infrastructure is not a new problem.
“These issues flared up in November last year. The water pipes burst faster than they can be fixed. Maintenance is a big issue here. The pipes in front of them have burst so many times [that people haven’t been able to use] our magistrate’s court’s main entrance since December last year.”
SAPS spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili was thankful for the help, but told the Sunday Times service delivery had not been interrupted.
“I can confirm that SAPS Krugersdorp is situated on a block where there was [a] water interruption. However, the lack of water did not hamper service delivery. The police station operated as per usual. The SAPS management is grateful to emergency services for assisting the police station with water. The station’s water supply has [since then] been restored,” Muridli said on Thursday.
Adrian Amod, Mogale City’s head of corporate communications, confirmed the water interruption.
“After a major water pipe burst on Sunday April 6, water supply was interrupted in and around Krugersdorp North and the CBD. [After] inspections and sourcing material, a total of seven mostly asbestos pipes were repaired and replaced,” Amod said on Friday.
“Water was restored to most of the affected areas from Wednesday, and fully by Thursday.”
He blames the rain and ageing infrastructure for their ongoing water woes.
He said pipe bursts could be attributed largely to heavy rains, which weakened the strength and integrity of asbestos pipes.
In addition, the pipes were old and gradually succumbed to high water pressure.
“One of the locations also [affected] by the bursts was the magistrate’s court, which [in turn] affected water supply to the Krugersdorp police station. Though the repairs were done on Wednesday, and water was restored the same day, the fire department specially provided water to the local police station to ensure non-interruption of this essential service to the city while repair work was under way,” Amod said.
He was thankful for the patience displayed by residents.