Gushing water underground hampers City Power after blast in Joburg CBD, lights to stay off

The explosion in Bree Street on Wednesday left the inner city with no electricity as lines have been damaged

20 July 2023 - 11:49
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Bree Street in Johannesburg CBD buckled during the explosion on Wednesday evening.
Bree Street in Johannesburg CBD buckled during the explosion on Wednesday evening.
Image: Freddy Mavunda

Johannesburg Water is working with City Power to contain the damage in the aftermath of the Bree Street explosion on Wednesday evening, which tore up a section of the road.

The underground tunnels which carry gas, water and electrical cables along Bree Street are also suspected to have been damaged.

City Power's John Ware substation is experiencing a huge gush of water underground about 4km towards Newtown, spokesperson Isaac Mangena said.

“Colleagues from Joburg Water have been notified to assist and are currently on site.”

Three substations were kept offline after the blast, Mangena said, including the Bree substation situated a few metres from the epicentre of the explosion.

“The team is this morning continuing with the assessments of the extent of the damage on the electricity infrastructure, with the hope that we will access some of the surface and underground areas that we couldn’t access last night due the risks involved.

“Power supply to the businesses and residents within the inner city will remain affected until an assessment is done and a go-ahead is given by emergency services to test and switch on.”

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