WATCH: Rand Water chief offers hope amid major water disruption
As Rand Water works on final repairs, residents and essential health services are becoming increasingly desperate for the authorities to bring much-needed relief to affected areas.
With the Eikenhof pump station isolated to stop the flow of water, there is a glimmer of hope for West Rand residents.
• Also read: Water supply halted for repairs – MCLM
An optimistic group chief executive of Rand Water, Sipho Mosai, said in a video on May 20, their workers are repairing the top leak of the pipe, and are in the process of finishing the bracket to close the bottom leak in the pipe.
We anticipate repairs will be done before the end of the afternoon and hope to start pumping water into the system again by tonight, and hopefully, water will be back by May 21.
“We thank residents for their patience during these water interruptions,” he stated.
The Gauteng Department of Health also issued a statement saying they are monitoring the impact of this water disruption at various health institutions.
In the West Rand District, clinics in Mogale City like Fanyana Nhlapo, Eric Ndeleni, Tarleton, and Maaki Legwete have no water, with backup water tankers empty. In Rand West City Municipality, Mohlakeng Clinic faces a total outage, while Ya Rona, Kocksoord, and PJ Maree Clinics are relying on low-pressure JoJo tanks. Leratong Regional Hospital and Dr Yusuf Dadoo District Hospital are also affected. While still accessing backup water systems, some taps are running dry. Both hospitals are working with municipalities to ensure the delivery of additional water.
In the Johannesburg Health District, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and the Discoverers Community Health Centre are mostly affected in the accident and emergency areas. Braamfischer Clinic, Princess Clinic and Hillbrow Community Health Centre are affected using internal water backup systems.
“The health department has already activated contingency measures to ensure that private water tankers can be dispatched to the affected facilities as quickly as possible. We are also engaging with local authorities so that they can prioritise health facilities and assist with dispatching water tankers. Ensuring continued service delivery, with priority on patient care and hygiene, remains our priority.
All affected facilities remain open and operational with necessary adjustments,” the department’s head of communications, Motalatale Modiba, said.
