Sameera Casmod | sameerc@radioislam.co.za
18 September 2024 | 11:18 a.m. SAST
2-minute read

Johannesburg Water is investigating the cause of water outages in the south and Central Business District of the city to establish the source of the high consumption.

While residents were warned that high water consumption was responsible for the outage, failing infrastructure is a significant contributing factor.

In an update last night, the utility reported an improvement in water levels at the Parktown 2 reservoir and stability of supply to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.

Level one water restrictions are in place for Gauteng for the summer months (1 September 2024 until 31 March 2025). The restrictions include the prohibition of watering gardens between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., as well as the use of hosepipes to wash paved areas, vehicles and fill swimming pools.

Executive manager at WaterCAN, Dr Ferrial Adam said that water consumption typically increases during the summer months. Furthermore, a steady increase in Gauteng’s population has put additional strain on the system.

“There’s poor planning in terms of our water, but also for years our municipalities have not spent the required amount on the maintenance of our infrastructure. So, the infrastructure is failing,” Dr Adam explained in an interview on Radio Islam International.

While several homes now rely on borehole water, it is not enough to relieve pressure on the system. Groundwater is also depleted during warmer months, when consumption increases.

There is a high possibility that Gauteng will continue to experience water outages in the coming months even with sufficient precipitation, because infrastructure is incapable of withstanding heavy rain.

Residents are urged to use water sparingly and abide by the restrictions.

The failing infrastructure song has been sung for several years, and has been attributed to corruption, inefficiency and maladministration. However, Dr Adam said that if plans are implemented immediately, the situation can be improved within five years.

While almost 40% of water in the province is lost through leaks, the national government’s proposed platform for water security in Gauteng is mandated to repair leaks and reduce water losses- a plan that Dr Adam says will do a lot to mitigate the problem.

Dr Adam proposes improvements at the municipality level, maintenance of skilled staff at Rand and Johannesburg Water and continuous maintenance of infrastructure.

“We have almost ten years of neglect of our infrastructure,” Dr Adam said. “So, it needs a lot more effort to fix,” she added.

Johannesburg Water is mandated to repair 200-300 km of pipeline per year, but the misappropriation of funds mean the number is currently only at 70 km. To avoid this, WaterCAN suggests that national government be tasked with the responsibility of handling funds for water and sanitation for the next five to ten years.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.