LAUREN O’CONNOR-MAY
Thousands of residents in Rocklands were without water for a whole day after an underground valve broke in Gladiator Street, The Hell, Rocklands, on Tuesday April 12.
The City said a 225mm water main on the corner of Gladiator and Weltevreden roads ruptured, cutting off the water supply to 600 households.
Janine Vraagom, who lives in Kitty Hawk Street, on the adjacent side of Weltevreden Street, said the water was still trickling on Tuesday night but by Wednesday morning all the taps had run dry.
“We can hardly do anything. We can’t even cook,” she said.
Bertram Rhodes of Tempest Road, Rocklands, said he drove to the council yard to ask for water.
“They said they can’t tell us how long the water is going to be off,” Mr Rhodes said.
“I’m still fortunate that I have transport but what about the people that don’t have transport? How are they going to get water?”
Carol Walters of Anson Crescent said neighbours had told her that a council truck was giving out water outside Foodland in Gladiator Street but she chose not to fetch some and asked her relatives to bring her water instead.
“How must I carry the water from the truck?” she asked. “Luckily I had four bottles of water in the freezer but that is finished now,” she said on Wednesday afternoon.
Elton-Enrique Jansen, the councillor for Rocklands, who was on the scene with technicians, said the valve broke from wear and tear, on Tuesday night.
“The pipe was very old,” he said. “They worked since last night, through the night, to fix it.”
According to mayoral committee member for utility services, Ernest Sonnenberg, two water tankers were patrolling the area, providing residents with water.
“Approximately 40 000 litres were provided,” he said.
Water was restored at about 5.30pm on Wednesday.