A Grahamstown street was flooded earlier this week and areas of the town were without water for several hours, thanks to vandalism by metal thieves.
A Grahamstown street was flooded earlier this week and areas of the town were without water for several hours, thanks to vandalism by metal thieves.
Residents in Constitution Street were alarmed to see a river of water issuing from near the dumpsite on Tuesday morning. Pouring from a water connection point near a house below the railway line, it filled the gutters and flowed down the hill towards the St Andrew's Prep playing fields, as well as branching off left along the other section of the street.
Residents said they'd first noticed the flooding around 9am. Municipal spokesperson Mncedisi Boma said their technical staff had gone to investigate and they found not a burst pipe – the usual cause of flooding in the city's streets – but that the iron valves were missing from a water mains connection point. The cover was also missing.
"The valve chamber is made of iron, and also the lids are made of iron. It seems as if someone stole those parts and the water was splashed all over the area," said Boma. He said the incident has affected the supply of water in some areas. "The water had to be disconnected because of that. We are trying to respond to the challenge because people have no water. We will update the community about the any new developments, Boma said."
Residents in sections of Somerset Heights reported yesterday that they had been without water since Wednesday morning.
