Johannesburg Water keeps Bezuidenhout supply isolated

Johannesburg Water is keeping the water supply isolated in parts of Bezuidenhout Valley after a contractor damaged a drinking-water pipeline during sewer-replacement work, and has advised residents not to use tap water until laboratory tests confirm it is safe. The utility said a tree stump fell onto the pipeline during excavation. Repairs at the corner of 6th Street and 8th Avenue were completed on October 21, but flushing and water-quality testing were still under way in updates issued the following day. The restriction affects properties along 8th Avenue at the intersections with 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Streets. Johannesburg Water said the precautionary notice did not mean contamination had been confirmed. It said the affected supply would remain isolated pending laboratory results and an official clearance notice, and that alternative water supplies would continue in the meantime. The utility did not give a time for the test results or clearance. Residents described an extended disruption as the restriction continued. Ward 66 councillor Carlos da Rocha said residents had gone nearly four days without water and that his requests for emergency water tankers had not received a...