Rand Water’s planned maintenance on the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant has turned into a nightmare for some Johannesburg residents when the water just never came back.
It is no laughing matter that large parts of Johannesburg have been without water for over a week since Monday, July 15, 2024, whether that means dry taps or low water pressure for over 60 000 residents.
This comes after Rand Water commenced the second phase of its maintenance plan, which saw the Palmiet Booster System reduced to a 68% pumping capacity for 50 hours. These long hours came and went, but the water never returned to residents’ homes.
Councillor Jill Humphrey’s said: “Not knowing, not being informed, is not acceptable when our community is so severely impacted.”
Having prepared for only low water pressure on a scheduled timeline, many residents’ in over 16 areas were left scrambling to fulfil their basic needs. Research by the City of Johannesburg’s Environment and Infrastructure Services Department suggests that residents in South Africa approximately use 275 litres per capita per day.
Because JoJo tanks and rotating water tankers were in such high demand, many residents did not have access to this alternative water supply, albeit undrinkable.
A resident in Germiston, Tristyn Denempont, said: “The water tankers that were scheduled to be positioned closest to our area were not easily accessible, and not all of them actually arrived, meaning we had to travel further to use the tankers”.
Thus, they had to resort to buying water for everyday tasks, such as cooking, drinking, and washing dishes and clothes. Wits Vuvuzela ran the numbers — if the average cost of a five-litre bottle of water is R25, this equates to R1 375 per day, which accumulates to nearly R10 000 for the seven-day dry spell. This is an added cost for households above and beyond their monthly water and sanitation bills.
Denempont added, “both my parents are retirees with health problems, and carrying the water is very difficult for them. Fortunately, I am at home to help them most of the time, but if they want to fill up the kettle for tea from the 5L bottle when I’m out, it is physically difficult for them to do. This means I had to ensure I had water in manageable containers that weren’t too heavy for them to lift and move when they did need to use water in my absence”.
It was no surprise when councillors in affected areas received multiple complaints from residents, Jane Skipsey said: “I wish they would stick to their promises and follow the timeline they provided regarding the maintenance period”.
Rand Water has since issued a notice informing residents the third and final phase of the Zuickerbosch maintenance plan will be going ahead on Monday, July 29 with water supply affected for up to 40 hours. They have added in their statement that water supply may be interrupted for up to 15 days after the completion of maintenance.
Denempont said he is “feeling very apprehensive about the upcoming scheduled maintenance, as they have already shown themselves to be unreliable with restoring water flow to our area”.
No one can say what the coming week will bring, and residents can only hope for Rand Water and the City of Ekurhuleni to hear their prayers.
FEATURED IMAGE: Bottles of water lined up in the boot of a resident’s car to try and stock up for water outages. Photo: Victoria Hill
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