Joburg water crisis deepens as outages enter second week

Thousands of Johannesburg residents continue to struggle with water shortages, with some households reporting dry taps for more than 10 days. The water crisis that has gripped Johannesburg for almost two weeks leaves thousands of residents struggling to access one of life’s most basic necessities, with some households having dry taps for more than 10 days. Joburg Water has been throttling supplies at 12 city reservoirs to support the “recovery” of some of the systems, which were under heavy demand pressure. Yesterday, it announced an overnight improvement in some of the city’s affected water systems following strengthened technical interventions. But it cautioned restoration would be gradual to avoid overwhelming the system and draining reservoirs and towers. “Restoration is currently in progress across impacted parts of the Sandton, Midrand, Randburg/Roodepoort, Commando, Central and Soweto systems,” the statement read. “Improved system capacity does not mean that supply has been fully restored to all affected areas. Some customers may continue to experience low pressure or no water while reservoirs and towers recover,” it said. DA ward 66 councillor Carlos Da Rocha said the City of Joburg failed to coordinate its response to the crisis, adding some residents have gone more than 10 days without water. “The City of Joburg must put an effective crisis management structure in place to coordinate the response, improve communication and ensure that available water is distributed fairly among affected communities.” The absence of a dedicated crisis committee involving councillors, municipal officials and operational teams has made it difficult to coordinate interventions on the ground, Da Rocha said. The growing crisis had left thousands of residents struggling to access water, with outages affecting several parts of Johannesburg, including the southern, eastern, western and northern suburbs, he added. Among the affected communities are Bez Valley, Kensington, Observatory, Bertrams, Lawrenceville, Troyeville and Judith’s Paarl. An irate Kensington resident described the situation as inhumane, accusing the city of failing to provide adequate alternative water supplies. “I’ve been without a drop of water for 11 days now. It’s inhumane. My basic right to water is being violated,” the resident said. “Water tankers are nowhere to be seen, even though councillors have been begging for them. I was forced to buy a water container yesterday and must now pay a provider 45c a litre to fill it up – all with money I just don’t have. “And I fear this is not the end of it. Joburg has reached day zero – we just don’t realise it.” The number of water tankers deployed was insufficient to meet demand, with some tankers running empty after servicing just one block, Da Rocha said. Ward councillors were often not informed when tankers arrived or where they had been sent. “This makes it difficult for ward representatives to coordinate with tanker operators and ensure that as many residents as possible receive water,” he said. Stationary JoJo tanks were also not being refilled despite repeated requests. These tanks should provide a reliable alternative for residents who miss water tanker deliveries, but delays in refilling them had undermined their effectiveness, Da Rocha said. The city could reduce the impact of the crisis by introducing a controlled distribution system, such as temporarily closing reservoirs at night to allow levels to recover before releasing supplies into the distribution network. A similar approach had previously been implemented, enabling residents to receive water for a few hours every second day. “I would rather have residents receive water for a couple of hours a day than have them constantly chasing water tankers,” he said. Ivory Park resident Nombuso Sambo is among those who have been battling water shortages, with her household going seven days without supply. “Since the water stopped on Sunday last week, we have been struggling. I stay with my sister, and we were forced to use the money we were saving to buy water,” Sambo said. “People must use their voting rights on Wednesday to address the service delivery problems we are facing here in Johannesburg.” Joburg Water said high-level engagements with relevant stakeholders were continuing to support coordinated interventions aimed at stabilising water supply. Its technical teams were also monitoring the performance of affected systems and adjusting interventions where necessary. Further details, including system-specific notices and water management schedules, would be communicated to residents.