Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
20 March 2024 | 10:00 CAT
2 min read

Johannesburg Water issues an urgent plea for water conservation as the Eikenhof substation suffers another lightning strike, prompting concerns over water supply. The utility singles out specific Joburg suburbs with high water usage, emphasising the need for residents to use water sparingly to mitigate potential shortages.

Authorities reveal that Alexandra, the city centre, and certain parts of Soweto are the top water-wasting areas in Johannesburg. They plead with residents to reduce consumption as the city grapples with meeting demand. This challenge is exacerbated by the recurring tripping of the critical City Power Eikenhof substation, which supplies electricity to Rand Water’s Eikenhof pump station, the latest incident occurring at 8:45 pm on Monday due to lightning.

Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda reports successful power restoration by City Power’s technical teams around 11 pm on Monday. Some water systems were affected, including the Waterval Tower, Orlando East Reservoir, Honeydew Reservoir and Tower, Brixton Reservoir, and Hursthill 1 and 2 Reservoirs.

According to Gugulethu Quma from Johannesburg Water, water outages are most common in the central regions due to the high demand for water and ageing infrastructure. These factors put a strain on the system, in addition to power outages and plumbing losses. Quma stated that they prioritise addressing these areas in their efforts to provide reliable water services.

“The consumption of Alexandra Park has been a concern of the city over the past year, and we started to put interventions in place but inevitably have to close overnight. At times, it is not the supply that is the problem; it is the high demand,” he said.

Quma is urging residents with adequate water access to use it sparingly, enabling load shifting and equal water distribution.

“It is difficult to plead with residents when you know they have less access to water, and the call becomes less meaningful because the residents need adequate access,” he said.

Quma emphasises the need for residents to use water sparingly to meet international water consumption norms.

“We need to reduce the residents’ consumption per capita per day within the city to an average of 140 to 150 per person per day; currently, we are using an excess of 250, which is double our target,” he added.

Rand Water reports stable but low water levels and increased consumption across Gauteng metros. Gwamanda announces plans for a comprehensive assessment of post-morning peak demand and states collaboration with mayors to address water consumption trends.

LISTEN to the full interview with Muallimah Annisa Essack and Johannesburg Water’s Gugulethu Quma, here.