Joburg’s water crisis: What to expect in 2025

Johannesburg has faced a tsunami of water issues this year and an expert predicts these are likely to spill over to 2025 causing a larger crisis.

Among the issues are severe infrastructure challenges and critical water shortages pushing the city’s water system to its limits.

Gauteng has imposed level 1 water restrictions, and Johannesburg Water announced the implementation of associated tariffs earlier this month, stressing the gravity of the situation.

Joburg Water infrastructure descending into critical condition

“Joburg Water needs serious scrutiny and possibly intervention by Provincial or National Government,” warned water expert Carin Bosman.

“It has been months during which they have been struggling to complete even the most basic of maintenance, which have left entire communities without uninterrupted water supply.”

The scale of the infrastructure crisis is staggering.

A comprehensive survey of the city’s water network revealed 22 reservoirs leaking beyond acceptable rates.

In the previous financial year alone, an investigation of 12,100 kilometres of waterlines uncovered 6 724 leaking pipes, 2 396 burst pipes, 442 leaking valves, and 259 leaking hydrants.

Logan Moonsamy, Johannesburg Water’s operations manager, acknowledged the severity of these infrastructure challenges while attempting to provide reassurance.

The city is losing an alarming 46% of its water through leaks, burst pipes, and failing infrastructure.

The situation is exacerbated by Johannesburg Water’s vehicle fleet operating at just 55% capacity, severely limiting their ability to conduct repairs.

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Political and management challenges

Nicole van Dyk, the DA’s Shadow MMC for Infrastructure, didn’t mince words in her assessment: “An ineffective executive sank an effective entity by misaligning their priorities and ignoring the immediate and long-term needs of our city.”

During a water service delivery protest in Westbury, Van Dyk previously called for the dissolution of the current board and comprehensive audits. She emphasised the need for technical experts rather than political appointees.

Bosman agreed that national and provincial governments needed to intervene before the water crisis became dire.

“There appears to be no oversight over their [national and provincial government] activities by the Joburg Municipality, and no urgency to resolve simple leaks,” Bosman noted.

“Joburg Water and the City of Joburg must be forthcoming with their schedule of maintenance and their action plan to address backlogs, as the situation is absolutely untenable.”

Looming water crisis amid financial implications and infrastructure needs

The financial implications are staggering. Mayor Dada Morero revealed that Joburg Water faces an infrastructure renewal backlog of R26 billion, with an additional R11 billion required for water infrastructure projects.

Of the 128 reservoirs in the Johannesburg network, 45 require refurbishment, with 22 on a critical list. Each refurbishment takes approximately one year and costs R25 million.

“The management system between the City of Joburg and Joburg Water also needs scrutiny, because it would seem that there is no consequence management and no integrity in how resources are spent.”

“If this is not resolved as a matter of urgency, then without a doubt, Joburg is going to have a serious water crisis in the coming year,” Bosman warned.

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More water restrictions

Johannesburg Water Spokesperson Nolwazi Dhlamini told The Citizen that the Level 1 water restrictions were introduced due to the high demand season, which usually occurs between September and March every year during hot temperature months.

The current Level 1 water restrictions, effective from September 1, prohibit watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars, and using hosepipes between 6am and 6pm.

Moonsamy also warned that if these restrictions prove ineffective, the city may need to escalate to level 2 or level 3 restrictions.

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project maintenance

Adding to the city’s challenges, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which supplies water to approximately one-fifth of South Africa’s population, is undergoing crucial maintenance until 31 March 2025.

The project began on October 1, with Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo assuring the public that maintenance is progressing on schedule, with regular oversight meetings between the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority and the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority.

Lower dam levels

Meanwhile, the Vaal Dam, one of Gauteng’s main water sources, struggles to maintain capacity due to lack of rainfall and climate change impacts.

As of 16 December, the Dam, which forms part of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), recorded a capacity of 24.9% of its full storage capacity (FSC) of 2.5 million cubic metres.

This was a decrease from the previous week’s 26.5%. However, 2% percentage point decreases have been consistent for months.

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“With regard to our general outlook for the coming year, we can all see the local effects of global climate change. The levels in our dams are much lower than normal in the middle of December,” Bosman explained.

She pointed out that only Ekurhuleni reduced their weekly average use, while Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Emfuleni are at least 20% above their targets.

Both Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni have seen dramatic increases since July, primarily due to leaking infrastructure and poor maintenance.

Bosman said the last graph (looking at the black line) shows that water levels in the metros are on the upper edge of the “low supplies” line.

She added that the last time such levels were recorded was in July/August 2020 (the end of the dry season for that year). 

“We have not seen the regular increases that are associated with the start of the rainy season in November /December, and there is a small gap before we hit the “danger zone” red peak to the end of January. 

“This means we all have to do everything we can to use water sparingly,” Bosman reiterated her warning.

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More water cut

Johannesburg Water is attempting to address the crisis through various measures.

Moonsamy outlined the utility’s multi-pronged approach, including pressure management, smart technology implementation, improved response times, enhanced leak detection, stricter credit control, targeted disconnections, and isolation of burst pipes.

“There is no quick fix solution for infrastructure upgrades in terms of pipe replacement and reservoir structure repairs,” he admitted candidly.

The utility is said it was deploying smart controllers – intelligent devices attached to pressure-reducing valves – which automatically reduce pressures during peak loss periods at night.

Expert water recommendations for residents

Bosman provided specific guidance for residents to help address the crisis.

She advises only flushing toilets when necessary, checking for leaky taps, taking five-minute showers while collecting water in buckets for toilet flushing, turning off irrigation sprinkler systems, and transitioning to water-wise gardens with drought-resistant plants.

She strongly advised against letting taps run unattended, using tap water for swimming pools, playing water-related games with hosepipes, irrigating gardens between 6 am and 6 pm, washing vehicles or animals with running water, or watering down hard surfaces.

“In the medium- to long term, we have to ensure that we hold municipalities accountable for their infrastructure maintenance and management, and we have to start considering alternatives such as non-waterborne sanitation,” Bosman concluded.

As Johannesburg faces its most severe water crisis in recent history, the coming months will be crucial in determining the city’s water security and its ability to address long-standing infrastructure challenges.

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