Water crisis hits hard
Months of recurring pipe bursts and water outages have pushed Douglasdale residents to the breaking point, with a tense community meeting exposing deep frustration over repairs.
Douglasdale residents have reached boiling point over a water crisis they say has become part of their daily lives.
Repeated pipe bursts are leaving households without reliable water and forcing the community to demand answers directly from Johannesburg Water (JW). The frustration came to a head at a community meeting attended by JW officials, Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana, and residents at Norscot Manor Recreation centre on August 3.
“The reason I called the meeting was that almost every day we’ve got no water in Douglasdale,” said Santana. “We no longer report individual bursts, but are dealing with a continuous cycle of outages.”
Read more: Johannesburg Water faces angry Douglasdale residents over water crisis
Resident Peter Tucker told officials that residents were paying their rates and taxes, but were not receiving a reliable basic service. He claimed the area had experienced approximately 80 bursts in six months, describing a pattern of intermittent supply. “One day of water, two days no water. Next day, one day of water, two days no water, and this has been ongoing for six months.”
Another resident criticised JW’s communication with the community, questioning the quality of some repair work, particularly work carried out at night.
Resident Donna Linnell raised the financial consequences of the unreliable supply, questioning how residents could be billed when they were frequently without water.
Residents also alleged that they were being charged for air in their water systems, rather than water, during periods when their taps were dry.
No pipe replacement
JW official Nico Singh explained that pipe replacement was not currently planned as the immediate solution for the area.
The statement drew an immediate reaction from residents, with one questioning how infrastructure could continue operating without replacement after decades. Instead, JW outlined pressure-management interventions, including installing air valves.
Nkosinathi Xaba, from JW, told residents that locations had been identified for new valves, with installation planned from the following week through to the end of September. Xaba explained that air valves would assist with managing air within the network and help mitigate some of the operational challenges affecting the system.
Pressure remains a point of contention
Resident Chris Neumann previously alleged that pressure fluctuations could be contributing to the recurring failures, claiming the network was being operated at higher-than-design pressure levels. However, JW rejected claims that excessive pressure is responsible for the recurring bursts.
At the meeting, however, officials discussed pressure-related interventions, including air valves and pressure reducing valves (PRV), as measures intended to help mitigate the ongoing failures. This has left residents questioning what is actually causing the repeated failures, and whether the measures being implemented will address the underlying problem.
Also read: Johannesburg Water declares Dainfern tap water safe to drink following contamination scare
A R37b backlog
Singh acknowledged that the Douglasdale crisis forms part of a much larger infrastructure challenge. He said it has an estimated R37b infrastructure renewal and upgrade backlog, including ageing water infrastructure, reservoirs, and other network requirements. “Addressing the backlog could take between five and 10 years.”
JW said it is changing its approach to bursts in Douglasdale, and that, where possible, teams will replace the full length of an affected pipe leg, rather than simply repairing the immediate point of failure.
Repairs causing more damage
Residents also raised concerns about damage to other infrastructure during emergency water repairs, including fibre, electricity, storm water systems, driveways, and pavements.
Xaba explained that underground services make excavation complicated. He acknowledged that damage to other services can occur during excavation and said the utility needed to find smarter ways of working around existing infrastructure.
Two air valves installed
Following the meeting, JW moved ahead with the promised intervention. Two air valves have been installed in Douglasdale, confirmed by Santana.
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