Potential disaster on the cards in PE

[Albereth]

Affected areas without water (https://www.facebook.com/NMBWaterCrisis):

Walmer Downs
Villiers Road, Walmer
Newton Park
Greenacres
Fernglen
Overbaakens

So, a water leak and not a power trip?

[YingYang]

If I were there I'd stock up on beer instead

[Rocket Raccoon]

Bear Grylls should hold a piss drinking seminar in PE.

[MickeyD]

[Flanders]

Bear Grylls should hold a piss drinking seminar in PE.

[Nicodeamus]

Two pipes. A 700mm steel one and a 1000mm concrete pipe dating back from the 1940s.

as long as water was following constantly through the pipe you would be able to drink it, the issue comes in when there is no flow then rust gets to build up and the pressure in the system will drop.

[Nicodeamus]

it seems to me that the issue there isn't the pipe itself, rather that the ground beneath the trust block (concrete block counter acting the forces in the pipe) got flushed away. So the pipe most likely started to leak and no one bothered to do maintenance...the weight of the block might have caused the pipe to burst.

[MickeyD]

it seems to me that the issue there isn't the pipe itself, rather that the ground beneath the trust block (concrete block counter acting the forces in the pipe) got flushed away. So the pipe most likely started to leak and no one bothered to do maintenance...the weight of the block might have caused the pipe to burst.

Correct excepting for the maintenance part... the heavy rains washed away the land.

[ToxicBunny]

Jees.. thats pretty mental...

Impressive that they reckon it will be fixed in 5 days though.

[MickeyD]

Update:
http://www.algoafm.co.za/article.asp...crisis-deepens

At this stage the following areas could be affected by fluctuating water supply:
Newton Park, Walmer, Walmer Downs, Mangold Park, Summerstrand, Humewood, Humerail, parts of Fernglen, Adcockvale, parts of Cotswold, Seaview, Beachview, Blue Horizon Bay, Kini Bay and the top parts of Gelvan Park and Parkside.

[Ady]

If this was due to a lack of maintenance, i predict many more pipes popping.

[copacetic]

All I can say is if I cannot have a shower tomorrow morning, someone is going to die.

[Nicodeamus]

Correct excepting for the maintenance part... the heavy rains washed away the land.

you're not suppose to put a thrust block on soil that can be washed away so easily, you're suppose to put up a retaining wall if you can't make such a big plan because the forces in the pipe can be quite significant. Then again it might be an old thrust block and knowledge of soils wasn't as important back then.

[MickeyD]

you're not suppose to put a thrust block on soil that can be washed away so easily, you're suppose to put up a retaining wall if you can't make such a big plan because the forces in the pipe can be quite significant. Then again it might be an old thrust block and knowledge of soils wasn't as important back then.

1943

[Nicodeamus]

1943

Soil mechanics was relatively knew back then and not taken seriously and the soil did last quite long without any of its knowledge,

The problem with old pipes is that the old municipalities didn't bother to keep records of where they were placed, their specs are also missing, this had big implications because future demand and maximum capacity can't be predicted. The pipelines in Pretoria central for example is made out of steel and concrete, but that is about all we know about them. The municipalities literally have to replace these pipes as they pop and then hopefully try and keep a record of where they are so their ageing can be predicted. Anyways enjoy 5 days without water