Joburgers are exceeding bulk water supply, necessitating action, says mayor Morero

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says the metro is taking action to restore a stable water supply after some residents have endured dry taps and weak water pressure for three weeks.

This includes a water demand strategy in conjunction with other interventions, including maintenance and repairs, he told a news briefing at the Brixton reservoir on Wednesday.

Residents across the city have become vocal about their dry taps, wanting to know what the city is doing to fix the problems. Picket protests are popping up, two of which were staged in Melville and Parktown West on Wednesday.

One resident sat down next to the mayor during the briefing, pointed to his armpit and said: “You can smell me; I haven’t had water for 24 days.”

Morero said the metro is consuming about 1,750ML of water a day — well above its licensed allocation of 1,550ML from Rand Water.

“We have to reduce to 1,550. Part of the strategy is throttling, particularly at night, so that we reduce losses and reduce the amount of water we consume in Johannesburg,” Morero said.

Several reservoirs, particularly in the south of the city, remain critically low. The authorities are aiming for a stable 60% level.

Morero said consistent reservoir recovery rather than temporary spikes is key.

“With water, it becomes difficult to say, ‘On this day we will be at 60%.’ Because today you can get to 60%, and then at 5pm people start harvesting and the reservoir drops completely.”

The intervention comes after up to three weeks of disruptions in several parts of the city.

Morero said the current problem started in January when the Klipfontein reservoir experienced a pumping failure which affected parts of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

The city has intensified pressure management, reservoir throttling and strategic restrictions in high consumption zones.

The Gauteng government has also announced “load-shifting”, a measure that could see supply reduced or temporarily cut in certain areas to allow reservoirs to refill.

For residents, this may mean lower water pressure, especially in the evenings, and intermittent supply during peak hours.

“At times you’ll find that the system at night might experience problems after 6pm or 7pm, because people start harvesting water, and that drains the reservoirs much quicker.”

Morero urged residents to cut back their water usage.

Commenting on residents’ complaints about being billed despite the prolonged outages, the mayor said they could approach the municipality for adjustments.

“You should not be billed for what you have not consumed. It’s a matter of principle.

“We apologise to our customers, especially in areas where they’ve not had water for more than 15 days, 25 days. We are trying our best to restore water.”

Staff at Johannesburg Water affiliated with the trade union Samwu were on strike between Friday and Tuesday, but the mayor said they were now back on the job.

TimesLIVE