DAILY leaks, frequent burst pipes due to ageing infrastructure and damage to residents’ driveways and roads have left residents in Mount Vernon frustrated and angry.

In the last few months, several bursts and leaks have been reported on Fourth Street, Challinor Road, Mount Vernon Road, Cannon Road and Fairfield Road.

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According to the eThekwini Municipality’s website, the turnaround times to fix a burst pipe are within 24 hours, while small leaks should be repaired within 48 hours.

This, however, is not true, say residents who’ve been affected by the water leaks, as hundreds of litres of potable water are being wasted.

Compounding the issue is the fact that the City says demand for water in eThekwini continues to outstrip available supply, which it says puts ‘significant strain on the system’.

The demand across eThekwini exceeds supply by approximately 100 megalitres a day but again residents point to a lack of willpower to fix water leaks timeously.

On Fourth Street, a water leak had gone on for several weeks and just days after it was repaired, began leaking again.

There is also major damage to the road surface on Fairfield Road where a burst pipe, that was excavated to be fixed, began leaking a few metres away.

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Another burst pipe on Bayswater Road led to a resident being unable to access their home.

Pieter Strydom, a Hillary resident, said he feels that a major overhaul of the water pipes is needed to curb frequent bursts.

“Leaks and bursts have become increasingly problematic in the Mount Vernon area. We’ve seen the City mention about conserving water and complaining about water loss and then you see leaks unattended to for days which is unacceptable. The frequent bursts are impacting road surfaces and residents’ driveways. I feel an overhaul is needed where the City needs to replace kilometres of pipes rather than doing a patch job using the new plastic pipes. What invariably happens is the minute a leak is fixed, a burst occurs somewhere up the line because of ageing pipes,” he said.

His comments were echoed by fellow Hillary resident Jacinda Turner.

“We are very water conscious but the turnaround time to fix and repair leaks is very poor. It is frustrating because we are told to save water but if you drive around the area, there are leaks everywhere. I feel the area as a whole has deteriorated and we often face having no water or no electricity,” she said.

A Cannon Road resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the situation has gotten considerably worse over time.

“The problem is as the municipality fix a leak in one place, another leak will appear. I‘m not a water engineer but I feel the switching off and switching on leads to high bars of pressure which causes a crack down the pipeline. Where I live alone, I’ve seen leaks on Bayswater, Cannon and Fairfield roads, leaks on the municipal road. There is also a burst outside the Bellair police station where the City has excavated but not backfilled it. It is also dangerous for residents and motorists in the area,” he said.

Also read: Burst pipes wreak havoc

Last month the City said it had begun installing pressure management valves to reduce the water pressure in the water distribution system.

“This reduces the frequency of pipe bursts and extends the useful life of the infrastructure. It also reduces the amount of water lost through leaks in the system. A programme to replace old leaking water distribution pipes is also being implemented,” the City said in a statement.

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