Following a backlog in reinstatements, Johannesburg Water has made noteworthy progress in the number of sites that need to be restored after ground excavations by the municipal entity. Since 1 July last year, the entity’s in-house technical teams have completed 15 205 reinstatements, including small-scale restoration work on tarmac, paved, and concrete surfaces, backfilling, and the construction of small valve boxes and chambers. Contractors completed an additional 200 reinstatement jobs.
“We know that there are complaints from various regions about this issue, but we are actively addressing the matter,” said Logan Munsamy, a Senior Operations Manager at Johannesburg Water.
A reinstatement is the process of closing a site – beneath a pavement or road – after it has been excavated to replace or repair water pipes.
Prior to mid-last year, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) oversaw reinstatements. “However, it was decided that Johannesburg Water would take over the responsibility of performing reinstatements on tarmac, paved, concrete, and stone surfaces,” Munsamy explained, adding: “there are some grass surfaces that need minor reinstatement work, such as backfilling and compacting to normal ground level”.
To complete reinstatement work, Johannesburg Water employs both contractors and in-house teams.
“The medium to large-scale work, which includes paving, backfilling, surface concreting, tarmac surfaces, and the construction of valve boxes and chambers, is outsourced to three service providers who divide the workload among the regions. These service providers are appointed under a framework contract and have the necessary skills, equipment, and experience to take on this magnitude of work,” Munsamy added.
Due to the magnitude of the task, Johannesburg Water augments capacity with in-house operator reinstatement teams.
“We have 10 depots in seven regions across the City of Johannesburg, which are strategically situated to undertake service delivery issues. Each depot has about four reinstatement teams on average. Some areas have more, such as Soweto, which is a larger region,” he said.
Minor reinstatement tasks include small-scale paving, surface concreting, backfilling, and compaction. The teams are also equipped with the necessary skills and equipment to perform small-scale restoration work.
“We have received some complaints about subpar workmanship or the slow pace at which some of the work is completed. When we become aware of such situations, we manage them in accordance with our contract management procedure,” Munsamy explained.
He said reinstatements are a massive task, but the entity was making headway.
“We do face challenges; however, we intend to increase our capacity as we go. We must be realistic about the current backlog, which cannot be eliminated overnight. However, work is being prioritised because it affects pedestrian and motorist safety, as well as traffic flow management.”
Munsamy said Johannesburg Water was committed to providing the best possible service.
“However, because most suburbs’ infrastructure is old, the frequency of repairs is increasing. Every fiscal year, we have capital upgrades that we use to prioritise the most pressing jobs.”
Written by Nolwazi Dhlamini
09/03/2023