Pretoria - A cracked water reservoir in Ga-Rankuwa is set to receive some attention from the City of Tshwane after residents expressed fear for their lives and called it a “ticking time bomb” after seeing it drip water.
Zone 1 residents and MelodiForum Service Delivery Monitoring Group said they feared it would burst open and flood their homes.
The group brought the media to vent their frustrations after it initially reported the matter to the City of Tshwane in May 2018, but did not receive the attention and urgency it deserved.
Daryl Johnston, the MMC for Utility Services and Regional Operations, said the City was prioritising the repairing of the Ga-Rankuwa Zone 1 reservoir, and was working on addressing it diligently.
“The reservoir has a crack and requires repairs to stop major water losses. The department is in the process of procuring the services of a structural engineer to assess the damage in order to allow us to put together the best plan to repair the reservoir with the least impact on services to residents.
“In my capacity as MMC for Utilities and Regional Operations, I recently conducted an oversight visit to the reservoir to see the extent of the problem first hand. Our water and sanitation department teams also conducted a full inspection of the reservoir. The crack that has been discovered is located high up in the reservoir, and we suspect that it was caused by vandalism.
“The City has been using automated flow control equipment to manage the reservoir and keep the water level below the crack to prevent leaks. However, that equipment was stolen, which has resulted in leaks.”
The reservoir is now being managed manually, but it is said to be a difficult task with the current dynamic while trying to maintain services to residents.
The reservoir supplies Ga-Rankuwa units 1, 4, 5, 16, 20 and Zone 1, as well as Krelingspost 425-JQ.
Johnston said an investigation was under way to determine the required remedial action to alleviate the water leaks, and the Tshwane Metro Police Department had been tasked with implementing a security strategy to protect the City’s infrastructure.
“Our teams are working to ensure that the reservoir is repaired as speedily as possible,” he said.
Resident Snowy Matlala said: “We are happy they said they are prioritising it, but obviously we will only feel safe when we see the work being carried out. This thing could cause a catastrophe if it burst open.”
Pretoria News