Home PodcastInayet Wadee Fordsburg Residents Are Approaching the Ninth Week Without Water

Fordsburg Residents Are Approaching the Ninth Week Without Water

by Thaabit Kamaar

According to residents, Fordsburg has been without water for over two months. Yasmin Garda, a resident in Fordsburg, told Salaamedia they had little to no water for over eight weeks.

“Since the power failures, there’s been an interrupted water supply to areas of ward 58. It’s been on and off. Most days, there’s no water at all. Some days it’s switched on in the morning … And switched off during the day right up until the evening.”

Earlier this year, residents of Fordsburg received notices from the Vereeniging purification plants and the Eikenhof pump station stating that power failures are affecting the water supply. This statement corresponds with previous warnings from Johannesburg Water affirming that reservoirs are at critically low levels due to power failures at various purification plants.

The ongoing electricity crisis in the country has caused significant disruptions to household utility supplies. Many people are without essential utilities such as water and electricity for prolonged periods.

Certain areas of Johannesburg have had days without electricity. While load-shedding stages were reduced, some areas had their power switched off for longer than stated.

Fordsburg Community Sentiments

Garda said it is a difficult period for many households. They have had no access to water, and no water outlets have been available in the interim. Residents are beginning to get angry and frustrated, especially since the holy month of Ramadan is approaching.

In addition, the ward conducted meetings with the Mayor, in which he informed the community it would be some time as they evaluated each water pumping station in the neighbourhood to determine possible resolutions to the problem. One of those solutions includes providing the pump stations with generators to address the electricity issues.

“The first meeting was held on the 6 of March … The outcome was that the Mayor said that he needs 120 days to visit each station in the ward and see for a resolution that would help resolve the water problem … But 120 days is still a long time.”

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Limited Access to Water

Residents who do not have access to alternative water supply resorted to using unclean and impure water from fire hoses. In comparison, some have access to boreholes in surrounding areas, and others have become reliant on family and friends for their water.

Garda said, “I’m here to raise awareness and find a long-term resolution … [However] it’s something that needs to be attended to immediately and urgently.”

She added there are available JOJO water tanks, but due to the low water pressure, they cannot fill them. And with the lack of urgency by the powers that be, the Fordsburg community is in limbo as they wait on a resolution.

 

Watch the full discussion here.

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