2 min read  | 14:10
Annisa Essack  |  kzn@radioislam.org.za

The city of Johannesburg’s dry taps results from a cycle of dry weather and faulty infrastructure.

Forty-two of Johannesburg’s 128 reservoirs are leaking via pipes and walls.

Johannesburg Water is budgeting R61 billion to replace critical water infrastructure over the next decade.

Senzo Mchunu, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, has promised to increase the bulk water allocation to the Rand Water system as part of the emergency steps to alleviate water shortages in Gauteng metros, districts, and local governments. These measures, according to Mchunu, are in place for nine months as the department looks for long-term solutions to the use and management of water.

Residents of Johannesburg now experience daily water shedding in addition to load shedding. The severity of the crisis was examined with Radio Islam International by Prof. Mike Muller of Wits School of Governance and Dr Gideon Groenewald, an independent geologist from Clarens in the Free State.

Groenewald asserts that the entire country—not just Johannesburg—is experiencing a severe drought. He continued by stating that the global decrease in rainfall is to blame for this and that the current situation is the worst global dryness in 1,200 years.

Johannesburg has recently shared a crisis with Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Meanwhile, Mike Muller reports that scientists believe the current drought will pass quickly because more rain is predicted for the near future. He claimed that catching the rain when it comes merely requires the proper infrastructure to be built.

However, Muller asserts that KwaZulu Natal has a reasonable likelihood of experiencing day zero.

[LISTEN] to the podcast here