Gauteng residents have had low to no water supply since the implementation of stage two water supply restrictions.
This prompted the Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu to implement a temporary increase in bulk water allocations to the Rand Water system amid shortages in parts of the province, following an urgent meeting on Monday.
Appeal to use water sparingly
Johannesburg residents were urged to use water sparingly while Joburg Water attends to the water shortage affecting parts of Gauteng.
The bulk supplier’s Managing Director Ntshavheni Mukwevho attributed the water shortages to six power outages at some of its reservoirs, among other challenges.
Johannesburg Mayor Sello Dada Morero, meanwhile, said the region’s aging water treatment infrastructure needs extensive renovations.
He was speaking during a media briefing with City Power and Joburg Water at its headquarters in Johannesburg earlier this week.
Joburg Water requires a cash injection of R100 billion to upgrade its water infrastructure.
The mayor believes the investment will prevent the current water shortages from becoming a regular occurrence.
“This is not really about water shortage. It’s really about the inability to pump water due to technical challenges including power outages. But there is sufficient water,” said Morero.
This follows interruptions at a bulk supplier in Vereeniging which were caused by a series of power outages. The temporary disturbance is said to have negatively impacted pumps at some reservoirs.
“We actually require 2500 kilolitres per hour for our pumps to operate at optimal levels. The power interruption meant that the reservoir for our bulk supplier went low which affected our reservoirs as well,” says Mukwevho.
