Johannesburg - Joburg Water has drawn up a six month-long water infrastructure upgrade project in Ennerdale Extension 5 in a bid to get rid of obsolete systems in the southern suburb.
The plan is to replace outdated water house connections and household water meters at 1 161 stands, reports Joburg.org.
Already, R4.7 million has been assigned to the project, which is expected to start at the end of the month and be completed by mid-July.
Baldwin Matsimela, the utility's manager of communications and marketing, said the existing water pipes in Ennerdale Extension 5 were old and leaking, "hence we have put up mechanisms to replace them".
The replacement of the old infrastructure is expected to reduce maintenance and its associated costs, he said.
Joburg Water is a municipal-owned entity responsible for water and sanitation services within the metro.
The utility is aware of the problems that are caused by old and outdated water pipes, and has set aside over a billion Rand - to be spent within the next 12 months - to upgrade and rehabilitate obsolete infrastructure and sewer networks, and refurbish wastewater treatment works throughout the metro.
Mr Matsimela said the primary objective of the Ennerdale project is to replace existing water house connections with small diameter steel pipes, and to replace household water meters and meter boxes with new conventional meters and meter boxes.
Replacing worn-out, leaking pipes is one of the many problems facing Joburg Water, he said.
Service disruptions and water supply problems are unforeseen during the work; however, residents will be told at least 48 hours before any planned supply cuts caused by the construction work.
Mr Matsimela has also dismissed as "malicious and untrue" rumours that Joburg's water is contaminated and might cause cholera.
"We have already indicated that the email that was doing the rounds was malicious and untrue. Within the City of Johannesburg we have put up comprehensive programmes to maintain the quality of water and therefore are able to identify contaminations on time."
The quality of Joburg's tap water has been rated among the best in the world.
To maintain this standard, officials routinely monitor over 500 drinking water samples each month as part of its audit programmes that focus on infrastructure development and maintenance.
The water samples are taken from the bulk supply reservoirs across the metro, confirms Mr Matsimela.
"If and when there is a problem with our water which might endanger the lives of Joburgers, we will be able to detect it sooner and respond proactively."
Maintaining its water systems allows Joburg Water to keep track of its capacity.
"Johannesburg Water is committed to improving the level of water and sanitation services," said Mr Matsimela.
To report water or sewer problems, the public can call Joburg Water's 24-hour call centre on (011) 688-1500, or Joburg Connect on (011) 375-5555.
