Gauteng residents have been plagued by water problems, which have made them irate and unhappy. Some have even taken to the streets to protest.
Rand Water raised the alarm last week about excessive municipal withdrawals that were causing an unprecedented catastrophe.
The bulk supplier claimed that although it has warned local governments on multiple occasions about the impending catastrophe, the situation has now reached worrisome proportions.
Tembisa residents in Ekurhuleni were affected by the protests on Monday and Tuesday, as angry people blocked roads with garbage and set fire to tires. They demanded that water be restored right away.
A few irate Liliba section residents protested about the dishonesty, claiming that since last Thursday, they had been promised daily water supply. Others asserted that they were unaware of the planned repair by Rand Water.
Residents of the Liliba neighbourhood claimed to have long endured sporadic water supplies. According to them, people are compelled to live in homes with foul-smelling bathrooms.
Schools in the areas turned away children, and businesses are struggling due to a lack of water.
“Since Thursday we were promised water would be restored the next day, that did not happen, the next day again that did not happen,” said one resident, speaking to KAYA News on Tuesday.
Ekurhuleni Water and Sanitation MMC Thembi Msane, in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, stated that residents were informed that they would be without water for two days owing to maintenance; she acknowledged that the lack of communication caused them to be unaware of the additional days.
“We notified the community about the planned maintenance which was going to last for two days. What our people need to understand is how the whole system of the water works. So the planned maintenance was for two days, now when you open water into the reservoir, it takes time that’s why we put two days recovery. The community seemed not to understand, however, we spoke to them,” said Msane.
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said technicians are closely monitoring the Tembisa water network, which is reportedly progressively getting better after recent maintenance work that was finished over the weekend.
Although Dlamini stated that the water supply has been restored, water pressure in places with higher elevations would progressively build up.
Low pressure is still present in several regions, including Mashemong, Makhulong, Matikweni, Kopanong, Sedibeng, and others.
Parts of Johannesburg, including Soweto, and Tshwane are not exempt.
Rozlind Strong, Linmeyer resident under City of Joburg, said Monday marked the 12th day without water. He added that clinics are closed and that there are no water trucks.
“Today marks 12 days of no water in Linmeyer. It is completely disgusting that the new mayor, Dada Morero, does not respond to messages, does not investigate, and clearly does not care about this crisis. Johannesburg Water has blocked my emails. I wonder why, what are they hiding from,” said Strong.
The City of Johannesburg was contacted for comment, but at the time of publication, they had not responded.
Meanwhile, the Johannesburg Water (JW) said many JW reservoirs and towers are being impacted by a noticeable increase in water demand.
“The demand in various systems is exceeding the available capacity. In response, JW is enacting vital Water Demand Management interventions to stabilise all systems. This may result in poor water pressure or a complete lack of water in certain suburbs, particularly in high-lying areas. To help control excessive water usage, the City of Johannesburg has instituted level 1 water restrictions, which are applied each year from September 1 to March 31,” said Johannesburg Water in a statement.
The Department of Water and Sanitation Director-General, Dr Sean Phillips, has issued a warning that Gauteng is currently experiencing a situation where the demand for treated water is occasionally exceeding the supply, particularly during peaks of demand, according to the province’s communicator, Nozipho Dlamini of the Gauteng Office of the Premier.
“Gauteng Provincial Government in partnership with municipalities has launched a water data hub, also known as a water dashboard. The water dashboard will help residents to keep track of shortages and repair issues in their areas and it will further assist residents in understanding how bad things are,” said Dlamini.
She said on September 13, 2024, Premier Panyaza Lesufi convened a Water Imbizo as part of the provincial government’s proactive intervention to prevent water insecurity.
Watercan Executive, Dr Ferrial Adam, said she doesn’t believe that Gauteng is close to Day Zero just yet.
“Our water challenges have been serious for a number of years, it’s not gonna go away anytime soon. I do think the whole of Gauteng needs to rethink how we use water and the wastage,” she said.
The Star