Johannesburg Water says supply systems remain under severe strain. This is as a result of high temperatures in recent weeks. The water utility’s spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, says although Rand Water is pumping, the current heatwave has led to increased demand on the entire system.
Shabalala says this has hampered the ability of reservoirs to maintain capacity due to the current heatwave which has persisted for the past few weeks, as well as the lack of rain, which has resulted in high water demand. This has led to Rand Water’s reservoir levels declining at an undesirable level, impacting the City of Johannesburg and other Metros in the province.
“Johannesburg Water technical teams have been implementing daily interventions to mitigate the situation and improve water supply to its customers. The entity urges residents and businesses in the City to please work with us in reducing water wastage by at least 10%.”
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On Friday, Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said the water levels were steadily improving, and he anticipates that the remaining water systems will have recovered by the end of the weekend.
He was speaking during a media briefing called by Johannesburg Water to give an update on the water supply interruptions that have hit the city since Monday last week.
Large parts of Johannesburg were left without water following a power outage that impacted the Eikenhof water pumping station over a week ago. Many affected areas have since recovered, and residents have been able to access water from their taps.
Gwamanda has assured residents that water will be fully restored by the weekend.
He says the water levels in the city’s reservoirs have improved.
“The system has built capacity, and reservoir levels are steadily stabilizing and getting to what we call acceptable levels. Councillors were appraised of the progress of our technical teams. Throughout today and over the weekend, it is projected that more areas will recover.”
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Among those affected by the water supply interruptions are schools and healthcare facilities, as well as old age homes.
Johannesburg Water Managing Director Ntshavheni Mukwevho says it takes time for the reservoirs and towers to recover once they run dry.
“It takes time for the system to build up. In that process, a lot of technical work has been done, which involves flushing the air out of the system because once the system is empty, the air gets into the system. So that we can be able to build up the pressure.”
