Intergovernmental war room established to help fight Johannesburg’s water crisis

The Johannesburg municipality has denied that the city is at or approaching anything like “Day Zero”.

The city admitted that the water network was under significant pressure, but stated that the bulk water supply and subsequent distribution were stable.

Calls for national interventions were made earlier in the week, and the city announced its “fast-track” plan on Tuesday.

Supply volumes adequate

Multiple areas across the city have faced weeks of dry taps while clean drinking water gushes from leaks and burst pipes.

Despite the bleak picture experienced by residents, the municipality stated that Johannesburg was “unequivocally” not at day zero.

“Day Zero refers to a complete system failure where water can no longer be supplied. Johannesburg continues to receive and distribute water across the city,” the city explained.

Rand Water, the entity which manages the pumping of water into the systems of all of Gauteng’s municipalities, confirmed that water supply was high.

Rand Water stated on Monday that it had been pumping an average of 4 700 megalitres per day (ML/d) into the Gauteng systems.

Consumption across the province hovered around the 4 500 megalitres per day mark, although storage volumes were a great concern.

Rand Water showed that storage volumes in the province had plummeted from just over 3 500 ML/d at the end of December, to just over 1 000 ML/d this past weekend.

“The lower the storage, the bigger the risk of water supply issues. Therefore, metros must reduce consumption to boost storage and avert a supply interruption possibility,” stated Rand Water.

Above: Rand Water’s supply, storage and consumption for Gauteng.

‘Infrastructure constraints’

The Johannesburg municipality explained that “infrastructure constraints” were adding to high demand volumes.

As of Tuesday evening, the Commando system was the worst affected, with the Crosby and Brixton towers and reservoirs low on water but still supplying.

However, Hursthill’s two reservoirs were on bypass, leaving areas supplied without water.

Areas around Melville, Greenside, Auckland Park and Parktown West that have suffered prolonged outages this year will be attended to as part of a “long-term system stabilisation” plan that may last until April.

A burst pipe in Linbro Park released large volumes of water into the streets this week, with the areas having been isolated to allow for repairs, although the completion time was not confirmed.

“Localised interruptions and pressure management do not mean the system has failed. They are necessary steps to protect reservoirs and maintain a broader supply across the city,” the city stated.

To manage the water crisis, an Intergovernmental Water War Room has now been established, comprising the municipality, Rand Water, and representatives from provincial and national government.

“This structure is actively monitoring the system in real time, coordinating technical responses, accelerating repairs, and implementing demand-management measures to stabilise supply and protect critical infrastructure,” the city explained.

Water infrastructure repairs will also be aided by the return to work by municipal employees who have been on an unprotected strike since Friday.

“Employees agreed to return to their workstations and resume normal operations with immediate effect,” Johannesburg Water confirmed on Tuesday.

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