Burst 600mm pipeline disrupts water supply in Phoenix

Work is under way to repair the burst water pipeline, with teams on site carrying out the necessary repairs to restore water supply to affected residents.

Residents in Southgate, Rainham and nearby areas face a water outage after a burst on the 600mm pipeline supplying Phoenix 1 Reservoir.

The eThekwini Municipality said repairs were under way and water was expected to return by late afternoon on Saturday, November 7.

According to IFP PR councillor Jonathan Annipen, who contested Ward 48, the burst was detected on Friday morning, with repair teams dispatched to the site.

In a video shared on a community WhatsApp group at 8.16am, Annipen said: “It has been determined that there is a major burst on a main line that is in Mount Zion. The teams are on site and they are beginning to take the necessary steps to have the repairs undertaken.”

Annipen cautioned residents that reports of a temporary water supply being restored to allow households to fill containers had not been confirmed.

“There are unconfirmed reports that water is going to be opened temporarily to allow for residents to store. I emphasise that these are unconfirmed reports,” he said.

He said he had spoken directly to officials, who informed him that the affected areas had been isolated and that water was expected to return to communities later on Saturday afternoon.

“I have spoken directly with officials who have told me that the affected areas have been isolated and that water is expected to return to our communities later tomorrow afternoon,” Annipen said.

He added that he had requested additional water tanker support to circulate throughout the ward, citing concerns about the availability of tankers and the length of the outage.

Annipen also appealed to residents to join the ward's service delivery WhatsApp groups for updates on repair progress and tanker deployment.

Meanwhile, Nikita Govender, the Inkatha Freedom Party's Ward 110 representative, said she had intervened with Water Department officials to assist in locating the burst.

In a water outage notice issued at 8am on Friday, Govender identified the affected areas as Southgate, Rainham and surrounding areas.

According to Govender, the leak was believed to have occurred after the Phoenix 1 Reservoir experienced critically low water levels over the preceding weeks and eventually ran empty.

“The leak is believed to have resulted from the reservoir reaching critically low levels over the past few weeks, eventually causing it to run empty,” she said.

Govender said information she provided to Water Department officials had assisted them in locating the burst on the reservoir's mainline pipe.

“Following my intervention and the information I provided to the Water Department officials, they were able to locate the burst on the reservoir's mainline,” she said.

She added that teams of plumbers had been assigned to carry out repairs and that she had requested a water tanker to service affected areas.

Govender said she remained in communication with Water Department officials and would continue updating residents as further information became available.

Although she was not elected, Govender told The Post that she remained committed to assisting residents, particularly during service delivery challenges.

In a separate public notice, eThekwini Municipality's Water and Sanitation Department confirmed that the interruption was linked to a burst on a 600mm-diameter pipeline supplying the Phoenix 1 Reservoir.

According to the municipality's notice, ground investigations conducted on November 6 identified a burst on the 600mm-diameter Rivergate AC pipeline as the cause of the supply interruption.

The municipality said the reservoir had emptied faster than expected as a result of the burst.

The notice listed Mount Edgecombe, Greenbury, Rockford, Stonebridge, Clayfield and Broadlands among the affected areas.

The municipality said the repair work involved replacing the damaged AC pipe section with a new steel pipe section, including fabrication, welding and creating access to the repair site.

Water supply restoration was expected by the late afternoon of Saturday, November 7, according to the municipal notice.

The municipality also confirmed that water tankers would remain available to support affected areas upon request.