The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has noted with concern an increasing number of fire hydrants being tampered with, mainly to draw water.
As warmer temperatures approach with spring and water consumption increases, more acts of vandalism are becoming common.
Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) media liaison officer William Ntladi cautions the public against tampering with fire hydrants, emphasising that such actions can lead to disastrous consequences.
“Fire hydrants play a crucial role in fire suppression efforts, providing a reliable water source for firefighters to extinguish blazes quickly and efficiently.
“When someone tampered with fire hydrants or used them in contravention of the city’s by-laws, it can compromise their functionality, potentially leading to delays in emergency response times and increased risk to lives and property,” Ntladi stressed.
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He reminded residents and business people running businesses such as car washes using fire hydrants to fill up containers for personal or business use contravene by-laws and also waste a significant amount of water.
In the event of water supply interruptions, the city provides water tankers to mitigate the effect of the supply interruption and ensure there is access to clean water for essential needs.
Therefore, residents and businesses should refrain from using fire hydrants during these interruptions, as doing so violates regulations and puts the community at risk.
“Fire hydrants should only be used for their intended purpose – emergencies,” emphasises Ntladi.
To play a part in protecting the community’s water resources, Ndladi encouraged residents to report those tampering with the water infrastructure through any of these platforms:
• Twitter handle CoE_Call_Centre
• Siyakhokha website https://siyakhokha.ekurhuleni.gov.za/Account/Login
• email @ Call.Centre@ekurhuleni.gov.za
• My Ekurhuleni App
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