As Joburg faces a water crisis exacerbated by infrastructure issues, WaterCAN calls for transparent communication.
Several suburbs are facing a weekend without water as Rand Water begins an 86-hour water shutdown on Friday.
This, the utility said, is to perform essential maintenance.
Among the areas that will likely be without water are
- Soweto,
- Randburg/Roodepoort,
- Brixton,
- Crosby,
- Hursthill
- Lenasia,
- Parts of Johannesburg central
These areas are fed from the Eikenhof Pump Station.
Maintenance will run from 7am on Friday till Monday 16 December.
Those in: Crown Gardens, Eagles Nest Reservoir, Parktown, Berea, Forrest Hill, Alan Manor, Naturena, Aeroton, Orlando East, as well as the Hector Norris Pump Station may experience low to no water supply until Saturday.
Click here for a list of suburbs that fall under each area’s reservoir.
Rand Water said the maintenance is “for the purpose of achieving improved plant availability, reliability, and efficiencies towards a flexible system.”
Affcted areas will be provided with alternative water supply through water tankers.
‘Stop the outages!’
The outages have sparked from some quarters, including from citizen water advocacy network WaterCAN.
Executive Manager Dr Ferrial Adam said the organisation acknowledges the importance of maintenance, but it questioned the poor timing of the shutdown.
“Many communities are still reeling from recent water shortages and protests. Residents of Johannesburg deserve a break from these repeated disruptions,” she said.
“If this maintenance was planned, why has there been no consultation or explanation and communication? Why schedule it for the first long weekend of the festive season?”
Rand Water defended the timing.
“It is ideal to execute this maintenance work during the low-demand period of December.”
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CoJ loses 30% of its water supply
The city loses approximately 46% of its water through leaks in pipelines, reservoirs, and pump stations.
Additionally, the department’s recent survey of the city’s 12 100km water network found 2 396 burst pipes, 6 727 leaking meters, 442 leaking valves and 259 leaking hydrants.
Both municipal and national water organisations have presented their turnaround plans throughout the last month, highlighting the necessity of service delivery and infrastructure upgrades.
“While these strategies are essential, they lack clear communication and practical details, making it difficult to gain public trust and support. In a context where trust between communities and the government is already strained, a thoughtful and inclusive approach is critical,” said Adam.
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‘Public dissatisfaction’
Johannesburg Water and Rand Water have been urged by WaterCAN to be more open about the maintenance.
Adam warned that the communication and consultation regarding this latest project has only deepened “public dissatisfaction”.
“As far as WaterCAN could establish, private contractors were hired for the maintenance operation.
“We would like to know who was hired, and if it is possible for this company to postpone this project without penalising Rand Water or charging them for standing time?” she said.
WaterCAN strongly encouraged Rand Water and Johannesburg Water to act responsibly if this project goes forward by interacting with the impacted communities and offering a thorough strategy to minimise interruptions.
“Residents cannot be expected to endure further uncertainty and hardship without adequate communication or contingency plans,” concluded Adam.
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