Water has been restored to more than 2,000 residents of a Thorncliffe apartment building after a corroded pipe left them dry for more than 36 hours.
Residents of 49 Thorncliffe Park Drive say building management shut the water off at around 2 p.m. Wednesday to try and fix the issue but encountered problems along the way. A building spokesperson confirmed that water had been restored by Friday morning.
“This was a complicated event based on where the ground pipe burst and the fact that we had to chip through layers of cement to manage to fix and reconnect to the city’s water lines,” Susanne Desrochers of Morguard Apartments wrote in an emailed statement to CP24. “We have been working around the clock with all parties to get this addressed.”
Initially, a private company was hired by the building to repair the pipe but when the city was called to turn the water back on the pipe continued to leak.
Crews were forced to shut off the water a second time and had to dig through three feet of concrete to access the pipe.
Coun. Jon Burnside called the delay “totally unacceptable.”
“It’s an old pipe that apparently corroded and it burst right where it comes into the building so it was all encased in concrete,” he said Thursday night. “There was some confusion the way it was articulated to the residents, which led them to believe that it was the city’s problem when in fact unfortunately the city can’t get involved in private property.”
Packages of bottled water were brought in and distributed to residents but residents told CTV News Toronto that it wasn’t enough.
Anger and frustration mounted late Thursday evening as dozens of residents, still waiting for water to be restored, gathered in the building’s lobby in protest. At one point, several residents attempted to storm the building management’s office and police were called in to calm the situation.
“There’s a foul smell, we can already smell it… It’s because of the washrooms, we don’t have any water for them,” resident Pavan Potukuchr told CTV News Toronto. “The landlord says it’s the city’s problem and the city says it’s the landlord’s problem, so we’re caught in between.”
Mayor John Tory visited the building after being notified of the incident by Burnside where he assured residents that the city was doing all they could to remedy the situation.
Some residents claim that the private contractors hired by the building to fix the pipe were only working during the day on the issue. Others say communication with building management was broken and their questions were left unanswered throughout the ordeal.
“We would’ve expected the contractors to be working overnight but we didn’t see anybody after ten o’clock,” resident Mukund Shanbha said.
“They were rude and they were not treating us like humans,” resident Sarah Abid said. “When we tried to ask about what exactly happened, they (said they) don’t know anything.”
Desrochers acknowledged the inconvenience residents have faced and added that the City provided residents with access to the facilities at a community centre across the street while the water was still off.
“We understand the inconvenience and frustration that our tenants have faced,” Desrochers said. “We have been providing bottled water and access to our neighbouring property for access to portable water and laundry facilities. The City has been a good partner in opening the community centre across the street for use of the facilities. “
