The planned shutdown is so Rand Water can upgrade their system and replace the ageing the infrastructure Photo Pexels
Gauteng – Johannesburg, the city that experienced Winter Wonderland yesterday will now be facing an extended water outage. This is after Rand Water confirmed the planned shutdown will take place from Tuesday, 11 July, 19:00 to Friday, 14 July, 05:00. However, Rand Water said the recovery period can be anywhere from five to 14 days after water has been restored.
The planned water outage will impact various areas in Johannesburg, including Roodepoort, Randburg, Soweto, Southdale, Innerdale, Johannesburg Central and part of Sandton supplied from the Dunkeld reservoir.
Extended closure and infrastructure upgrades
According to Johannesburg Water, the water outage and planned shutdown is part of a plan to replace or upgrade old critical infrastructure and reduce unplanned infrastructure breakdowns. The planned works will take place at Vereeniging water treatment plant, Eikenhof booster pumping station, Zuikerbosch water treatment plant and Zwartkopjes system.
The utility will install isolation valves at its iconic pumping station and upgrade the overall water supply system. These measures are crucial for maintaining the capacity and reliability of Johannesburg’s water infrastructure.
Residents without water before the planned shutdown
Although Rand Water has planned the water outage for later tonight, many residents are already with dry taps. Beverly, who lives in Eldorado Park, has already had her water turned off.
“They said clearly that they will shut off the water at 7pm today. Not before that. Now we don’t have water in the area. How are we supposed to plan for this? Were we supposed to start storing water from the weekend for today? This is totally unacceptable from them. First, they increased the planned outage and now they cut us off way before time.”
Beverly points out that situations like these are why residents are fearful they may not get their water back at all come Friday. She fears Eldorado Park could be without water till next week at the very earliest.
However, Beverly is not the only one facing such a situation. Michelle Langervelt, who stays in Northriding, has been without water since Monday. Just like Beverly, she fears water will not be restored after the planned shutdown is completed.
“We haven’t had water since Monday. What are we supposed to do now? The shutdown will happen in a few hours and even though they said the water supply will be reduced, can we even believe that? Can we trust our water will even come back this week? This is totally unacceptable, but it is not something that is a surprise.”
Residents are reaping the rewards of Rand Water’s poor planning
While the planned shutdown is to replace old infrastructure, residents are far from happy about it. Jake Davis, who lives in Randburg, expressed his dissatisfaction about the shutdown and why this wasn’t taken care of sooner and in a better manner.
“We are reaping the ‘benefits’ of poor planning. Rand Water should have gradually replaced all these pipes and infrastructure over time. Not all at once. We already are suffering with water cuts and outages. Taxpayers should not? have to live like this. With proper planning, all these outages could have been avoided and there would be no need to have such a long shutdown.”
Last year a report by the Auditor-General, Tsakani Maluleke highlighted the financial toll, revealing that only four out of South Africa’s nine main state-owned water boards achieved above 80% of their planned targets. The report further identified irregular fruitless and wasteful expenditure running into billions of rands. Additionally, ageing infrastructure that was not properly maintained has resulted in substantial water losses, totaling approximately 74.7 million kiloliters. These losses translate to a staggering revenue loss of around R794 million. Davis has placed this loss squarely at the feet of Johannesburg Water and Rand Water.
“They say vandalism and ageing infrastructure, and all of this is the cause of water loss but it’s not. They are the main cause. Ageing infrastructure should be replaced long before it starts to break down. Whose job is that? Theirs. When we report a water leakage or a burst pipe, whose job is it to fix it? Theirs. Yet they take ages to come. Water fills the streets and then we get potholes and all sorts of other issues, but they will place the blame on everyone but themselves and it is ridiculous. I don’t see how we can trust such people who can’t even admit they are the ones in the wrong and continually try to find others to place the blame on.”
Alternative water supply measures
There are measures being implemented to provide some relief to affected areas. One of these measures involves deploying water tankers to supply alternative water sources to residents. These tankers aim to mitigate the impact of the water outage and ensure that essential water needs are met. However, Langervelt believes this is not the best option.
“While we don’t have water, they will send these water tankers around. That is what they said they will do but up till now we haven’t received any notification to say where they will be stationed. Even if they do deploy them, what about the old and the weak. People who use walkers, wheelchairs and even crutches. How will they get their water? These things need to be thought about, but it seems those in charge don’t really care about the needs of everyone.”
As Johannesburg residents endure the extended closure and subsequent water outage, they will undoubtedly hope for a swift and efficient infrastructure maintenance process. Addressing the challenges related to power cuts, high demand, vandalism, and theft is essential to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply for the city. The extended water outage in Johannesburg highlights the need for ongoing infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. Addressing the challenges faced by the city’s water supply system is crucial to prevent future water shortages and ensure the well-being of Johannesburg residents.
