Johannesburg Water grappling with huge backlog of city-wide reinstatements

Johannesburg Water is facing a significant backlog of reinstatements across the city, with over 15,200 jobs completed, as reported by Randburg Sun. A reinstatement involves filling and restoring holes left after exposing underground pipes for repair.

According to Joburg Water spokesperson Nolwazi Dhlamini, the entity is progressing steadily. Internal teams and service providers are working around the clock to complete the work. However, some reinstatement jobs may take longer to finish because work is scheduled based on capacity.

Dhlamini acknowledges that there are reinstatements in Blandford Road and Simmen Taler Street, North Riding, which the entity is aware of. The repair team responsible for fixing the underground pipes differs from the reinstatement team. Ideally, Joburg Water should complete the backfilling and reinstatement within five and ten days of the repair work. However, with the backlog, the internal reinstatement teams are allocated the backfilling work. At the same time, the external contractors do the concrete and paving work.

The unfilled road caused by Joburg Water’s contractors fixing an underground pipe almost a year ago is causing delays and traffic for residents coming in and out of the complexes, especially in the morning. Resident Randall Sewpershad expressed his concern, saying that cars must stop and wait for one another. They have to drive into oncoming traffic because of this.

Dhlamini advised residents to refrain from fixing the issues, as it is the City of Johannesburg’s responsibility through Johannesburg Water, especially on road surfaces and road reserves. She added that compliance standards must be met in agreement with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) when reinstating. Therefore, it is best to escalate the matter, as the City allocates this work to external reinstatement contractors.

Ward 134 councillor Devon Steenkamp suggested that residents apply for a wayleave to be allowed to fix the issue. Still, any work done must have the correct documentation to ensure accountability in case of incidents.

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Picture: Facebook / Johannesburg Water