Burst pipe wreaks havoc in Kariega

When a wave of water came rushing towards their front door, a Kariega family could do little but close it and hope the flood would subside.

However, those hopes were dashed when knee-high water continued to run through their Fairbridge Heights home for about an hour, after one of the main lines supplying water to large parts of the town burst outside their house.

Suburbs like Winterhoek Park, Strelitzia Park, Fairbridge Heights and parts of Vanes Estate were without water for most of the weekend, while the Van Greunen family’s home was left a waterlogged mess.

“We had just finished our braai when my daughter shouted out,” Almarie van Greunen, 60, said.

“We didn’t realise what was going on until my son-in-law ran to slam the front door shut.

“I thought there was an intruder, but then I saw the water level outside the house rising.

“Water was forced in between the door and the frame, and we could see water rising outside the windows.” 

Their house, built on a steep slope below Mimosa Drive, is divided into two sections.

The Van Greunen family lives on one side, while their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren live in the other section.

The water welled up outside the main entrance to the house shortly after 9pm, forcing its way past frames and windows, before breaking down a door in another section of the house.

At various stages over the next hour, the water, in varying depths, rushed through the house.

At its lowest level, the water was knee high, and at one stage covered their bathtub, toilet and several kitchen appliances.

Couches and beds floated and all they could do was open the back door to allow the water to drain.

“We quickly ran to get the cars out of the garage and the dogs out of the house.

“It ran right out the back door, flooded the swimming pool, and broke through the concrete walls at the back of the yard,” Van Greunen said.

“We could not get out the front door. We had to use a ladder to climb over our neighbour’s walls to escape.”

Two downhill houses, on adjacent Amaryllis Street, also suffered water damage.

From there the flooding dissipated as water ran down the street and into storm water drains.

The floors on Sunday were caked in mud.

In the bathroom, a line of dirt ran against the walls above the toilet and basin, indicating the water’s highest point.

Beds were soaked and the hinges of the bedroom door were ripped from the frame.

Before they could open the front door, they had to dig away a thick layer of mud.

“I have no idea what we have left after this,” Van Greunen said. 

Ward councillor Roelf Basson said the matter was receiving attention and specialist teams were arranged on Saturday night to start repair work on Sunday.

“Water outages are expected until Monday. The location of the burst pipe is of such a nature that most of the digging will have to be done by hand.

“But teams are on the ground and the matter is being dealt with.”

On Sunday morning, municipal contractors were on-site and teams were waiting for assistance to excavate the section of the Van Greunen’s yard where the pipe burst.

Meanwhile, the Van Greunen family has been relocated to a guest house nearby while municipal teams complete repairs and assist with cleanup operations in and around the house.

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