Como burst pipeline leaves damp mark as residents brace to ‘rebuild’

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Southern Sydney residents whose homes were destroyed by a burst water pipe yesterday have begun the long clean-up process. Experts say the incident demonstrates Sydney’s water infrastructure is out of sate and in dire need of maintenance.

Transcript

00:00This Como home stripped to the bone, saturated from the roof to the floor.

00:09Just filled all upstairs, went downstairs, downstairs flooded, came through the windows,

00:14garage flooded.

00:15It was just pouring through all the gaps of the full force and the back garage door.

00:22So yes, it was frightening.

00:24Cheryl Gordon was home when the large water pipe behind her southern Sydney townhouse

00:29burst.

00:30I heard like a massive bang, so that's when it absolutely just came flying out and it

00:35just aimed right at my house, my back windows.

00:39It was frightening.

00:40I was shaking because I didn't know what to do, I didn't know should I leave?

00:44Some residents here in Como say they're frustrated that it took several hours and multiple calls

00:49to Sydney Water before the burst was blocked.

00:52Meanwhile, experts say the incident is an indication that Sydney's water infrastructure

00:57is in urgent need of maintenance.

01:00If we're not maintaining, if we're not continually renewing these 50, 60, 70 year old assets,

01:06then we will see more and more incidents like this one.

01:09Sydney Water says it's looking to invest $26 billion to address growing demand on ageing

01:16infrastructure.

01:17That would mean increasing water levies by 50% by the end of the decade.

01:22We need to see that expenditure of more than a billion dollars per year ongoing and that's

01:27obviously going to have a significant impact on customer bills.

01:32The bill will also be steep for the damage in Como.

01:36Insurance yes has set us up an emergency accommodation and it's probably going to take six to eight

01:42months, minimum six months to have that whole place just redone, ceilings, floors, everything.

01:50A long road out of a big mess.

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