Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morello said the city was facing a water crisis. (Rubabalo Resore/Gallo Images)
The City of Johannesburg is facing a serious water crisis due to ongoing drought conditions, high levels of non-revenue water, illegal connections and infrastructure issues, Executive Mayor Dada Morello said.
During a media briefing Wednesday, Morello updated residents on the status of the city's water supply and systems, demand management efforts and mitigation plans to “provide relief to residents” amid widespread and ongoing power outages. .
The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) is the city's main water source and Morello said it was under severe strain, with “water levels in the reservoirs dropping to critical levels”.
However, according to the latest data from the Water and Sewerage Authority (October 28), the usage rate of IVRS is 73.6% (88.1% in the same period last year) and the usage rate of Vaal Dam is 34.8% (75% in the same period last year). .
“Water levels in the Vaal Dam are low, but there is no serious strain on the IVRS,” said Ferial Adam, executive manager of the non-profit organization WaterCan. “When Cape Town was experiencing Day Zero, the river and dams were at 20%.”
Adam said it would be more accurate to say that water levels in the city's reservoirs are “reaching critical thresholds.”
When Mr Morello cited the drought situation, Mr Adamu referred to the latest monthly drought bulletin issued by the South African Weather Service in September, stating that rainfall in September 2024 is expected to be close to normal in most parts of the country. He pointed out that it was above normal.
However, isolated areas in the Western Cape, extending to southern and central Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces, as well as small adjoining areas in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, experienced below-average rainfall.
Adam said: “In September, the South African Weather Service announced that Gauteng was quite dry and it was still not too dramatic at the moment, but we need to keep monitoring.
“If we're in a drought, why do we only have water restriction level 1? I'm sure the start of the summer was very dry, but then you can't classify it as a drought. .”
Last week, during a virtual meeting of Parliament's Water and Sanitation Portfolio Committee on Gauteng's water crisis, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina stressed that Gauteng was “not really affected” by the drought. “The situation in Gauteng is a result of self-inflicted pain by local authorities who do not want to cooperate,” she says.
Mr Morello said Johannesburg Water “has to strike a difficult balance” to deal with water consumption exceeding supply.
“This is primarily driven by uncertainty surrounding future trends such as population growth, water demand, infrastructure investment needs, and budget constraints. and putting the sustainability of water supplies at risk.”
It's more than consumption, he said. “Missing water lost through leakage is equally concerning. Better water demand management is needed to address overuse and water loss.”
Morello said a five-year water conservation and demand management strategy has been developed and approved.
Interventions include repairing leaking reservoirs and tower infrastructure. Repair and replacement of zonal bulk water meters and pipe replacement. The strategy aims to reduce demand by 37,123 megalitres (1 million liters) per year through technological interventions. Water conservation efforts will further reduce demand.
Johannesburg Water has an infrastructure renewal backlog of R26 billion, with water infrastructure accounting for R11 billion. “Funding constraints are slowing the clearing of this backlog, resulting in further aging of our infrastructure,” Morello said.
“They say they are financially constrained,” Adam added. “Then they set out a massive five-year plan to repair leaking reservoirs and infrastructure. Of the 42 leaking reservoirs, only 20 could be repaired. We know that there is.
“If you look at replacing water pipes, there are 12,000km of water pipes in the city. As far as I know, Johannesburg Water only has the funding to replace 14 kilometers a year… I can't help but wonder if their strategy will help them get out of the trouble they're in.”
She believed authorities understood the “state of disaster” the city was in, but added: “They don't have the ability to do much about it because they don't have the money. If you're going to fix 14km of pipe, sorry, it's the same as filling a leaking bucket.”
Morello said the restrictions are in place for the top 30 bulk supply meters, which account for 97% of the city's total consumption.
“With Johannesburg's population on the rise, the need for a robust and efficient water supply and sanitation system is paramount. We also need to improve water billing systems and investigate areas where non-revenue water is increasing. We are working on it.”
He said a team has been established to review billings and “the metering system has been strengthened to more effectively track revenue and non-revenue water.”
Level 1 water restrictions are in place. These will run from September 1st of each year to March 31st of the following year.
“This restriction prohibits the use of hoses to water gardens, wash cars, sweep driveways, and fill pools and waterways.”
Adam said: “For starters, of the 30% the city is losing to leaks and claims, I really think we can reduce leaks by focusing on government buildings and real estate.
“Targeting the government buildings themselves could bring about significant reductions, but they keep blaming consumers, illegal connections, theft, etc., but theft includes people who aren't paying. I think there are buildings in the government sector that aren't paying.”
Getting your home in order will build trust and encourage people to save water themselves. Without this, Adam said the next few months will be a struggle.
