Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
16 October 2024 | 10:45 CAT

A Day Zero drought occurs when there is no supply in the system. The term came out of the 2015-2017 threat that taps would run dry in Cape Town after a multi-year drought reduced rainfall in the Theewaterskloof catchment. (Mitchell Krog/Gallo Images)

City of Johannesburg councillors, in collaboration with civil society, are proactively formulating disaster plans for Day Zero in areas without water for the past week. This collective effort aims to provide the public with access to water in the event of a system failure.

As Gauteng residents grapple with a catastrophic decline in water storage levels, Rand Water has sounded the alarm over excessive municipal withdrawals, leading to an unprecedented crisis.

Makenosi Maroo, spokesperson for Rand Water, told Radio Islam International that the challenge is within the three metropolitan municipalities, including Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and the City of Johannesburg.

“77 percent of the water that Rand Water purifies is supplied to these three Metro’s where the challenge and high consumption is resulting in Rand Water abstracting amounts more then allowed from the integrated Vaal River system,” Maroo explained.

Under the limitations of its extraction licence from the Department of Water and Sanitation, the organisation cannot withdraw additional water from existing sources. The solution to this crisis requires effective water conservation and demand management.

Rand Water has issued a dire warning to residents, stressing that water storage could soon be depleted if municipalities do not take timely action.

“It is essential to act now to prevent the impending disaster,” warned Maroo, emphasising that Rand Water was operating at full capacity and could not pump any more water into the system.

Maroo concluded that municipalities must address the physical losses identified in the No Drop report, highlighting a staggering 33% in wastage. Repairing leakages, enforcing by-laws, and tackling illegal connections are critical steps to avert a complete system collapse.

Meanwhile, a detailed data investigation by Daily Maverick from March to July shows thousands of water cuts across the city this year as it rotates supply.

“Numerous reports from late 2023 and through 2024 have said a system collapse is imminent, although Johannesburg Water has repeatedly denied this. This week, the utility tightened water restrictions and revealed that 42 (half) of its fleet of reservoirs are leaking and it has the budget to fix only 20 of them,” Daily Maverick reported.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Makenosi Maroo, spokesperson for Rand Water, here.