The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) water and sanitation provision entity has entered into a partnership with the Borehole Water Association (BWA) to encourage the city’s residents to switch to borehole water to mitigate the crippling drought.
The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on February 3 at the launch of a city-wide campaign to encourage residents, particularly those living in affluent areas, to consider boreholes as an alternative water supply source.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Clr Matshidiso Mfikoe, called on residents to save water, especially in the wake of the severe drought facing the city.
“We’re a water-scarce country and everyone has a responsibility to save this scarce resource. Boreholes are a component of the water mix the city is exploring. This includes harvesting ground and rain water and recycling it.
“We’re looking at innovative ways to save water. We encourage you to work with us. Check if you can drill a borehole on your property,” said MMC Mfikoe.
There are 13 500 boreholes in Johannesburg.
“Parks, golf clubs, schools, churches and office parks were among those that would be encouraged to sink boreholes on their properties as water in Johannesburg is expensive because some of it is imported from Lesotho.
“South Africans, on average use the most water in the world,” said Johannesburg Water’s managing director, Lungile Dhlamini.
“The world average is 175l per person per day. The South African average is 235l per person per day, while in Johannesburg it’s 300l per person per day.
“We need to educate people about water conservation. We need behavioural change to deal with the increasing demand for water.The challenge for Gauteng is that we are the most populous province, with five million people living in Johannesburg. Ageing infrastructure and unpaid water debt are major challenges,” said Mr Dhlamini.
