Residents are facing a water crisis due to mismanagement Photo Pexels
Gauteng – Rand Water and the City of Ekurhuleni have warned residents in Benoni and surrounding areas to expect water outages for the foreseeable future. Low water levels at Rand Water reservoirs have forced them to implement water outages.
The low levels have been blamed on power outages and high consumption of water during the recent heatwave. Prof. Anja Du Plessis, UNISA’s integrated water resource management specialist, agreed that while loadshedding and the heatwave contributed to the water supply crisis, consumers cannot solely be blamed.
“Blame cannot be solely placed on the consumer as escalated prolonged blackouts as well as poor state of infrastructure leading to water losses of more than 40% before it even reaches the consumer. It is a combination of factors and cannot be solely placed on the consumer’s shoulders.”
Loadshedding causing water crisis
The recent power outages have led to reservoirs being left empty. Kara Swanepoel, resident of Benoni, explained how she and others have been suffering to get water during loadshedding.
“Whenever we have loadshedding, there’s very little water at the end of the 2 hours. Whenever we have 4 hour slots, there’s no water left by the end of 3 hours. Sometimes, by the time the water is back, then the next round of loadshedding starts. During stage 6, we have often had to resort to buying 5L bottles of water for baby bottles and to give our pets water, too.”
This issue has been known for quite some time as well. Swanepoel explained her ward councillor is aware of the water situation during loadshedding and has made attempts to help residents out.
“Our ward councillor, Lornette, does try to keep us up to date as well as requests water tankers if she knows that there’s going to be a large chunk of time without water. She has also informed us that the water tower is set to get its own generator by the end of the 1st quarter.”
Du Plessis is adamant that Rand Water cannot blame loadshedding for the water shortage. While it has contributed to the crisis, Rand Water should have had measures in place to combat the situation.
“It has been made quite clear by Eskom and Government that loadshedding will be permanent for the next 24 months. Rand Water and Joburg Water should have put plans in place after the first water shortages were experienced last year. Loadshedding does play a role, however, both Rand Water and Joburg Water should have put clear plans and/or interventions in place to deal with this seeing that we have been in a similar situation in Sept/Oct 2022.”
Decaying and dilapidated infrastructure
As the population increases, it has become harder for the decaying infrastructure to supply water to the residential areas. However, consumers should not be punished for Rand Water’s lack of management, stressed Swanepoel.
“The population has increased exponentially, and it’s not the consumer’s fault that Rand Water can’t keep up with demand. It’s absolute nonsense that the consumer becomes the scapegoat for their shortfalls.
The state of the infrastructure is not a new problem. City officials and Rand Water have known about this for up to two decades and have not decided to do anything about it, said Du Plessis.
“Infrastructure has been decaying for more than two decades. It is not a new problem. Continued blackouts have accelerated the decline by placing more strain on infrastructure, in some cases leading to the collapse thereof. Rand Water is responsible for the maintenance of their infrastructure and the same applies to Joburg Water. Rand Water is not the only role player. Joburg water and the City of Johannesburg local municipality is also responsible for continued maintenance/upgrades of infrastructure.”
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Solving the issues together to end the water crisis
There are many problems that need to be fixed before the water crisis can be put in the past. The city as well as Rand Water need to address the issues at hand. This will be a long process, warned Du Plessis. There are no quick fixes for a problem as big as this one.
“Unfortunately, infrastructure has not been properly maintained or upgraded over two decades. It will not be solved overnight and requires clear plans and/or actions. Broken/collapsed water systems/infrastructure needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. All pumps need to be investigated and repaired if needed. Backup pumps can be installed to ensure that water continues to be pumped throughout the water system during blackouts however, this is not a long-term plan as placing generators etc is not sustainable from a cost and functional perspective.”
Pressure has to be placed on all role players to play their part. This is no time to be pointing fingers and blaming one another for the crisis at hand, said Du Plessis. That time has long passed. Now government will have to play their part and consumers will have to prepare for the worst.
“Clear plans with deliverables and time frames need to be developed and implemented. As the supply of clean water is a recognised human right, these role players also need to ensure that in the event of prolonged water outages/shortages that water is made available via water tanks etc during these periods. Residents will also have to try and “prepare” themselves for more frequent water outages due to continued loadshedding and the repair of infrastructure is not going to take place overnight. Joburg water has recommended that residents try to prepare themselves by ensuring that they have water available for 4 hours, however, with increased living costs etc. not all residents will be able to afford to “prepare” themselves. Water tankers need to be placed in relevant areas when water outages occur.”
