On October 9, GCN published an article about Germiston residents demanding answers on the ongoing water crisis.

The City of Ekurhuleni said Primrose is still experiencing intermittent water supply after repeated electrical trips have affected Rand Water’s pumping systems.

Residents in Primrose continue to experience intermittent water supply following prolonged interruptions that have disrupted households and raised concerns about access to water as the summer season approaches.

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In response to the ongoing water supply challenges affecting Primrose and Edenvale, the city attributed the interruptions to electrical trips that disrupted pumping at Rand Water’s Palmiet system.

According to the City, the pumping disruptions affected the volume of water being supplied, and restoring normal supply takes time even after pumping resumes.

Although Wadeville’s water supply has been restored, Primrose has continued to experience intermittent supply.

City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said another electrical trip on October 9 further complicated the situation, affecting the system while it was still recovering from the previous disruption.

The city said Rand Water was pumping at full capacity after the latest incident and expected the system to recover.

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It added that interventions involving other metropolitan municipalities were also being undertaken to improve water storage levels.

However, residents in affected parts of Primrose may continue to experience inconsistent supply while the system recovers.

The city said that, based on previous experience, it usually takes about seven days to restore water supply in Primrose after such disruptions.

Despite this estimated recovery period, the city confirmed that supply remained intermittent when it responded.

The continued interruptions have raised concerns among residents who rely on a consistent water supply for cooking, cleaning, bathing and other essential daily activities.

With warmer weather approaching, prolonged water shortages could put additional pressure on households, particularly families with young children, elderly residents, and people who need regular access to water for daily care.

To help affected residents, the city said it was deploying water tankers to affected areas, with some positioned at Association Road.

The city said it had communicated the locations to residents.

“Residents experiencing continued interruptions are encouraged to establish the location of the nearest available tanker and make use of alternative supply arrangements while waiting for normal services to resume,” said Dlamini. The city did not indicate how many tankers were deployed or provide a detailed schedule of their movements in its response.

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Asked whether Ekurhuleni was experiencing a wider water crisis or supply constraint, the city said there was no broader crisis, explaining that disruptions occurred when failures affected bulk water supplies.

The city also confirmed that, at the time of its response, it had not decided to introduce further water restrictions ahead of summer. However, it cautioned that additional interruptions could occur if failures affected the system.

As temperatures rise, reliable water supply becomes increasingly important for households and businesses.

The recurring interruptions in Primrose have therefore raised questions about the resilience of the bulk supply system and the contingency measures available when pumping operations are disrupted.

The city said that when Rand Water’s systems operate without emergency interruptions, supply should be adequate to meet demand.

However, it did not outline specific additional measures being introduced to prepare for increased summer consumption or prevent similar disruptions.

The latest disruption has once again highlighted the impact that failures in bulk water infrastructure can have on communities, even after pumping operations resume.