As the Rand Water 58-hour planned water shutdown commences, the water utility has warned that some areas may not have access to water by 5am on Friday morning.
The shutdown was planned for 7pm (Tuesday) and will continue until Friday morning at 5am.
Rand Water confident it will conclude its project as planned: Makenosi Maroo
WATER UPDATE #Thread
Rand Water has earnestly started with the planned maintenance work that will end at 05:00 Friday, 14 July 2023. This involves installing valves and portion of pipe which will enable interconnectivity of the three engine rooms at Eikenhof pumping station.— Rand Water (@Rand_Water) July 11, 2023
The water utility says the shutdown is part of its maintenance and refurbishment of its infrastructure.
Johannesburg’s big water shutdown
Affected areas will include Roodepoort, Randburg, Johannesburg central, Ennerdale, Southdale and Soweto.
Rand Water spokesperson, Makenosi Maroo says, “What we are saying is that the system will take a full two weeks to recover. The water will resume slowly. In areas where there is now water, we have given municipalities ample time to make arrangements, for them to dispense tankers. Question: Is there a possibility that come Friday morning, some area’s may not have water? Yes, there is a possibility depending on high lying areas and low lying areas. That’s where the municipality comes in. At 5am, we will be done as Rand Water and we will open the valves so water can flow to municipalities.”
Meanwhile, Johannesburg residents have expressed mixed reactions to the planned water shutdown by Rand Water.
Some residents spoke to SABC News ahead of the planned shutdown.
“As much as the shutdown is an inconvenience, I do believe it is quite necessary to maintain the infrastructure and to prevent prolonged periods with no water. I think its something we have to deal with and prepare for,” says one of the residents.
“It’s ridiculous. How do people survive without water for three days. First, it’s the electricity, now the water. I have a little baby. How do we manage? I had to buy bottle water, litres and litres and stock up,” says another.
