RESIDENTS started experiencing low water pressure and then eventually no water at all on May 26. This started in The Hill area and progressively moved to the other suburbs.
This problem was widespread, affecting Soweto, most of the inner city, as well as some western parts of Joburg.
The pumping capability of the Vereeniging Pumping Station was compromised due to cable theft. This cable, which is fed from the Emfuleni Local Municipality, was stolen. Since the pumping station could not pump to the various reservoirs in Joburg and due to high demand, the water level dropped and some reservoirs went dry.
Rand Water gave an update on May 27 on delays caused by challenges they had but they managed to resolve the issue later that day.
Ward 54 Clr Sergio dos Santos said at the time Vereeniging station started pumping there was a huge area of Joburg that was still without water. It takes a long time for reservoirs to fill up and to work to full capacity. This means suburbs in the lower lying areas receive water first, while there is a delay in other areas.
“I would like to remind residents of the challenges faced by Joburg Water. The new DA-coalition administration inherited an infrastructure backlog of R5.8-billion just for Joburg Water alone, which will take years to catch up. Furthermore, according to DBSA Working Paper 12, 2009, ‘South Africa is recognised as a water-scarce country…and is the 29th driest country out of 193 countries, with an estimated 1 110 cubic metres of water per person in 2005.’ As recently as December 2017, water expert Anthony Turton stated ‘Gauteng will remain water-insecure until 2025.’
“Taking the above into consideration, residents need to be reminded that they need to reduce water consumption. Watering of gardens is not allowed between 6am and 6pm in summer months (September 1 to March 31), and 8am to 4pm in winter months (April 1 to August 30). In addition, you are not allowed to wash paved areas and driveways using hose pipes or washing out bins like many complexes do.
“Everyone needs to be an active citizen by reporting service delivery issues directly to the city and obtain a reference number in order to be able to follow-up on it, or else the city will not know about that issue.
“I see too often people complain on social media platforms about issues they have not officially reported. My appeal is that residents report all burst pipes, leaking water meters and open hydrants regardless of where it is to 011 375 5555, 011 688 1699, SMS 082 653 2143 or www.johannesburgwater.co.za
“If it is not resolved within the Service Level Agreement then please escalate to the ward councillor who will then try and have the matter resolved. Remember, if you think you don’t need to report it because surely someone else has, in all likelihood the next person and the next is thinking the exact same thing.
“I would like to thank Rand Water for their commitment in trying to resolve the problem and to Joburg Water for their updates and for supplying a water tanker to help residents to collect water. It is not possible to have a tanker in every suburb and to visit every street but their presence on May 28 evening helped,” said dos Santos.
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