Race to restore water supply after major pipe burst in Joburg

Technicians worked throughout the night into Sunday on repairs to a major pipe that burst, leaving several areas without water in Johannesburg.

“The solution requires a number of valves to be closed to allow the pipe to drain faster and ensure safe working conditions. A preliminary assessment has indicated that a number of areas will be affected,” Rand Water told customers in a series of tweets on Saturday.

The list of potentially affected areas included: Bedfordview, Wychwood, Primrose Hill, Dinwiddie,  Northridge, Sunnyridge, Fishershill, Primrose, Isando, Glen Marais, Klopperpark, Kempton Park, Van Riebeeck Park, Spartan, Medley (Boksburg) Germiston Station, Spoornet East Industrial, Wadeville, Tembisa, President Park, Halfway House Diepsloot, Rooihuiskraal, and Linmeyer.

Technicians diverted the supply of water to a different pipeline to ensure the stability of the network.

“The pipeline crosses a stream and the team is busy with preparations to divert the river …. We have all the appropriate specialized equipment and material at the site, and the technical teams will be working throughout the night on this matter. We are keeping the respective municipal customers informed of the progress being made.”

Technical teams were still working on the pipe early on Sunday. Customers were urged to follow @Rand_Water for updates on Twitter.

Rand Water urged customers to use water sparingly. The City of Ekurhuleni said water tankers had been deployed to affected areas.