Water shortages may be an inconvenience to many people as they go about their daily lives, such as preparing to go to work or school. In some cases, households may make alternative arrangements to obtain water when municipalities fail to provide.
Others have storage tanks installed for that purpose.
But prolonged shortage of water supply does not bode well for institutions such as hospitals, where water is a lifeline and is needed constantly to ensure operations are not affected and the facilities are kept in a hygienic condition.
It emerged last week that 16 Gauteng public hospitals have experienced water cuts this year, forcing the cancellation of 392 operations.
This was revealed by Gauteng health and wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to questions in the Gauteng legislature by DA MP Jack Bloom.
The Helen Joseph Hospital experienced seven water supply interruptions from March to September this year, with 36 operations cancelled.
In October, Rand Water said it was not responsible for water outages that have plagued the province as the entity continues to pump supplies despite municipalities owing it billions of rand.
— Simphiwe Gada, Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa provincial chair
Edenvale Hospital had to cancel 117 operations because of seven instances of low pressure or no water at all, sometimes lasting as long as a week.
Negative effects on patients included being unable to clean, cook and operate essential equipment such as boilers, laundry appliances and sterilisers.
Six water failures at Pholosong Hospital in Ekurhuleni led to 127 cancelled operations, with another 36 deferred.
The provincial health department’s water facilities have reservoirs, and some also have boreholes as part of the backup system when there are supply disruptions.
However, the system becomes strained when the interruptions are prolonged. In addition, the department’s services accounts with municipalities are up to date.
Despite this, hospitals find themselves lumped with everyone else, including households and businesses that do not pay for services.
This water supply situation is not new with Simphiwe Gada, Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa provincial chair, saying this has been going on for the past four years.
Gada said water was essential in hospitals because it improves the quality of care.
“One has to navigate the hospital with washed hands otherwise it causes cross-contamination. It has also forced nurses to do non-clinical duties, and in some instances, they have to fetch water with buckets which puts them at the risk of occupational hazards.
“In October, Rand Water said it was not responsible for water outages that have plagued the province as the entity continues to pump supplies despite municipalities owing it billions of rand.”
The bulk water supplier said outstanding amounts meant revenue intended for infrastructure development and maintenance was being forfeited.
What worsens the situation is that the time taken to receive payments had risen from 35 days in 2014/15 to 109 days in the past financial year.
Rand Water said its debtors’ book stood at R6bn at the end of September.
Rand Water said it was pumping as much water as possible and was adding infrastructure to store and purify water. It said it received no assistance from the fiscus and emphasised that it was important that it gets paid on time to continue to maintain its infrastructure.
While Johannesburg is the best performing and pays its accounts within 35 days, Tshwane owed the utility R690m and Ekurhuleni R440m in September.
Eskom also said these two municipalities jointly owed it R4.7bn as of August 31.
The nonpayment of services by municipalities to Rand Water should be a cause for concern.
What makes the situation more concerning is that municipalities struggle to collect payments for services from its consumers.
In turn they battle to pay suppliers, including Rand Water and Eskom. Figures released by the Treasury showed municipalities were owed R305.8bn at the end of December, a 17% increase over the R261.5bn owed at the same time in 2021/22.
The level of debt owed to municipalities is likely to increase, making it difficult for suppliers to render services.
Municipalities need to drastically improve their collection efforts to ensure Rand Water infrastructure continues to be maintained and hospitals never lack water, which is critical for their operations.
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