Joburg Water blames consumers and heat for crisis, experts disagree

Joburg Water is blaming consumers for pushing it into a crisis, but a water expert says the utility is responsible for allowing most of its infrastructure fail to the point where there are only five years of remaining useful life in some water supply lines.

Joburg Water yesterday held a press briefing to update residents experiencing low water pressure and those whose taps had dried up. Its chief operating officer, Derrick Kgwale, blamed high temperatures for the water crisis, saying heat was part of the reasons for their problems.

ALSO READ: Joburg Water shutting ‘critical meters’ at night to save water

“The weather since Monday has been fairly cool. When the weather is cool, consumption tends to be lower and that has helped the system to recover. We are hoping the same weather patterns continue this weekend so that we can recover much better.

“If it becomes hot, we might experience regress from what we have regained. The weather has also played a part in making sure the system stabilises,” he said.

Water crisis due to population growth

During a press briefing this week, senior networks manager Logan Munsamy blamed the population growth in Johannesburg as one of the reasons contributing to the water shortages across Joburg.

ALSO READ: Rand Water can restrict areas using too much water – here’s what happens if they do

But water expert Dr Anthony Turton said the consumption of water could not be blamed on Joburg’s residents.

“You cannot blame the consumer for consuming water you are obliged to supply. If a consumer demands more water, you are obliged to provide more water – that’s how it works. You cannot blame the consumer for your problems.”

He said the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane metros would require R100 billion over the next five years to improve their infrastructure and half of it would be for Joburg Water.

“The question we should be asking Johannesburg Water is where they are going to get the money to improve the infrastructure and stop blaming the public. Why has Johannesburg Water allowed itself to get into such financial disarray that it is unable to upgrade its assets,” Turton said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Gauteng residents warned to brace for ‘water shifting’- but what is it?

“The majority of assets of Johannesburg Water have five years of their remaining use of life before they come to an end… This has been known for a long time in engineering circles. Why did they fail to act five years ago to avert this crisis, then wake up now and blame the public and Rand Water.

“Approximately 50% of the water going through the Johannesburg water system was lost and they cannot generate the revenue to fix the system,” said Turton.

Load shedding

In the past, Joburg Water had blamed the high stages of load shedding for failing to provide water to residents. But Turton dismissed this, saying the water utility would blame anything except itself for the failure to provide water.

ALSO READ: Joburg water shortages result in violent protests

Rand Water has also been blamed for its inability to supply enough water for Gauteng residents. He said part of Rand Water’s problems was because the Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane municipalities were not paying the amount it was owed. Rand Water was about R38 billion in arrears because it was not being paid by the metros, he said.

“The cause of the difficulty is the financial directors of these metros that are not paying the bills they are supposed to pay.”

Heat can’t be blamed

Water expert Carin Bosman said the heat could not be blamed when institutions were failing.

“Summer happens every year, we are not in a drought. The person who makes that statement is looking for an excuse because of the institutional failure of the City of Johannesburg to address the deficient and failing infrastructure,” Bosman said.

ALSO READ: 50 roaming water tanker trucks, 56 stationary ones deployed amid Joburg water crisis

“Apart from drought caused by a lack of rain, you get two types of drought – a socioeconomic drought and an institutional drought. Institutional drought is what we have here. There is water available but the institutional failure of the organisation which is constitutionally responsible for the provision of water services (the City of Joburg) is failing to fulfil its duties and obligations.”

– lungam@citizen.co.za