Residents and councillors plead for consideration for those in high-lying areas

With rolling blackouts, fears of water scarcity are never far from Northcliff residents’ thoughts, especially during the current hot conditions in the city.

Residents in high-lying areas in particular feel the effects of load-shedding when it affects the pumping of water by the city or the high usage of water by users. This effect is compounded significantly when there are unplanned interruptions of service due to maintenance or other work Johannesburg Water needs to carry out to keep the infrastructure working.

Our journalist spoke to three residents in and around Melville to understand their frustrations with intermittent water supply.

Melissa Butner, owner of P4 Infinity Hair and Beauty at the 27 Boxes shopping centre is at her wit’s end.

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“It’s been a tough few years with the Covid lockdowns, cost of living going up, and other stresses. Then the water crisis toward the end of last year really harmed my business. Now we are facing up to Stage 6 load-shedding and regular periods with no water or very low-pressure water which is fatal to us as hairdressers.”

She describes how she has to often trek 200 litres of water at a time from her home when the shop’s taps are dry often. She says the cost of running her generator is a massive cost that can’t be absorbed by hiking prices to clients, it needs to come from their bottom line figures which dwindle as clients don’t come out if there is no power or water.

“Water is essential to a hairdresser, so is power to blow dry clients’ hair, give men haircuts and other treatments. How long can we survive like this, I don’t know. But we must survive for my own well-being and the five people who work with me and their families.”

She says in community groups and statements from Johannesburg Water there are always posts about burst pipes and maintenance on ageing infrastructure.

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Chris Meier said, “I am terrified we are heading back to the crisis of last year with water shortages or cuts. Load-shedding is playing havoc with pumping water and those of us in high-lying areas are always the first to lose supply. Load-shedding, unexpected power outages, and the heatwave we are experiencing is filling me with dread.”

He says he understands the challenges Johannesburg Water faces but doesn’t always feel that they are being completely honest in their messaging for ownership of situations that lead to residents and businesses like him that suffer and have to live with the consequences of the situation.

“I am also really fed up with constantly being told by entities to use less water, use less power. I physically cannot use less than I am, yet I am the first to go without. I have my elderly parents who live with me and they absolutely cannot look after themselves when water doesn’t get to their basins or toilets. I have to carry the heavy buckets to their rooms and help bathe them and look after them. I am so frustrated, and becoming angry.”

He ran through the times he was without water, or had little pressure over the last few days and it does seem unreasonably often by anyone’s standards.

Helping them with water is one thing, but needing to offer a different kind of assistance when there is load-shedding is also increasingly becoming a challenge. “It never stops, I have to get on top of this try to earn a living.”

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Jennifer Malec says her frustration at being told time and time again that the reservoir is low or nearly empty is becoming overwhelming. “My water is off so often it’s unbelievable. The system is being isolated often and up high in the area, we feel it the worst.”

“I don’t understand why those of us in high-situated areas must be expected to just accept this. We deserve the same service as other homeowners but I feel like we are being punished. Residents in other surrounding suburbs have no idea how tough it is for us and Joburg Water just blames gravity or Eskom but that is cold comfort to me. It’s not fair or just.”

She knows some of this has to do with high water usage by those in lower-lying areas, especially when it’s hot, but, “When people don’t help to conserve water there is no consequence for them, yet we must just accept our supply will evaporate. It has far-reaching negative consequences for us.”

Ward 87 councillor Bridget Steer said she understands frustrations but a solution is not always easily attained. “Water is gravity fed. Those in the high-lying areas will always lose pressure first, and those at the bottom of the hill will always lose it last. Despite making every effort to get water to all residents, we need the cooperation of residents to reduce consumption.”

She says there has been no increase in demand so it is probably weather related. She also notes that there has not been a reduction in supply from Rand Water. “It really is a supply and demand issue and if residents don’t reduce demand and only use water for hygiene / essential purposes then recovery will just take longer when there is a glitch in the system like we recently saw when there was a mechanical fault at Crosby.”

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