Joburg Water warns system under strain as demand outstrips supply

Johannesburg Water has warned its customers the water supply system is under severe strain as demand outweighs supply.

One of the reasons provided included the hot weather. Residents have been asked to immediately reduce water usage.

In a statement, the City of Johannesburg water entity said the persistent heatwave has led to the bulk supplier’s reservoir levels declining “at an undesirable rate”. 

“Currently, demand is outstripping supply. Though Rand Water is pumping and supplying, the increased demand on the entire system has resulted in reservoirs being unable to maintain capacity.

“Over the past few months, Rand Water has been holding daily joint operations committee (JOC) meetings with Johannesburg Water, the City of Tshwane as well as the City of Ekurhuleni in efforts to find strategies and solutions to address this high demand issue. 

 “Furthermore, Johannesburg Water technical teams have been working behind the scenes implementing daily internal interventions to mitigate the situation and improve water supply to its customers,” said Joburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala. 

A week ago, thousands of residents were left without water for about five days when a power outage occurred at Rand Water's Eikenhof pump station. One of the feeder boards at City Power experienced a flashover and this affected the dedicated transformer supplying power to Rand Water's pump station. As a result, Rand Water could not pump any water. 

This happened a day after a City Power transformer at the same pump station failed after it was struck by lightning.

Among the many areas affected were Soweto, Power Park, Doornkop West, Hursthill, Crosby, Crown Gardens, Aeroton, Boschkop, Honeydew, Olivedale, Cosmo City, Quellerina, Florida North, Blairgowrie and Roodepoort. 

The city was forced to provide water tankers as it tried to restore reservoirs and supply to affected areas. 

Shabalala said with demand outstripping supply, residents and businesses should work with the city to reduce water wastage by at least 10%. 

“This includes adhering to the city’s level-1 water restrictions, which require residents to use water sparingly especially with South Africa being a water-scarce country. Under level-1 water restrictions, the watering of gardens is prohibited between 6am and 6pm.”

Shabalala said residents are not permitted to wash paved areas and driveways using hose pipes.

“It is more imperative now more than ever that we embrace a new mindset on water conservation,” Shabalala said. 

Tips to save water:

• Do not leave taps dripping, and repair leaking taps in your household; 

• Wash your car on the grass as this will water your lawn at the same time;

• Shorten your showering time;

• Use a glass of water to rinse when brushing your teeth

• Take shallow baths and avoid filling your bath to a depth greater than 100mm; and

• Reuse greywater to water your garden or pot plants. 

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