Good news! Maintenance complete in Johannesburg … now we wait for water

Rand Water has confirmed that it has completed crucial maintenance on its infrastructure in Johannesburg, with taps now starting to fill.

The project began in May and was completed ahead of schedule on Friday.

According to the utility, it was undertaken to “enhance system capacity, improving plant availability and reliability, instituting statutory dam safety inspections and boosting overall operational efficiency”.

“The work was strategically scheduled during the low consumption months to minimise service disruptions and manage the potential negative impact on water supply.

“To reduce interruptions and allow time for the system recovery, the maintenance programme was divided into three phases, all of which were completed,” Rand Water said.

Restoration

Dozens of areas and thousands of residents were affected by water outages during the maintenance, with taps running dry in many households.

While there will be relief at the maintenance work being done, it will take a bit more time for municipal distribution networks to fully recover and for the water supply to return to normal.

“This is due to the need to rebuild system capacity and pressure, particularly in high-lying areas.

“These [high-lying] areas are the last to receive water as it must travel uphill and requires more time to restore adequate pressure. The low-lying areas typically recover more quickly,” Rand Water said.

Restoration can take between a few hours to several days, but Rand Water is closely monitoring the recovery process.

ALSO READ: City Power: These are the areas that will be without electricity next week

Water throttling

Meanwhile, residents in Zondi and Power Park, Soweto, will have their water throttled over the weekend.

Johannesburg Water said it will limit water from reservoirs to these areas from 2pm on Saturday until 4am on Sunday morning.

It said this is to “curb rising consumption, protect reservoir levels and maintain a steady supply for all residents”.

The utility currently applies throttling in other areas of the city, as needed, including:

• Orange Farm;
• Lawley;
• Lenasia;
• President Park; and
• Diepsloot.

Rotational throttling was also done on Friday evening in areas serviced by the below reservoirs and stations, and is implemented when needed:

• Constantia tower;
• Robertville reservoir;
• Alexander Park reservoir;
• Berea reservoir;
• Brixton reservoir;
• Powerpark reservoir;
• Doornkop (on the network);
• Yeoville pump station (reduced pumping);
• Brixton pump station (reduced pumping);
• South Hills pump station;
• Witpoortjie pump station;
• Grand Central pump station;
• Randjesfontein pump station; and
• Honeydew reservoir.

NOW READ: ‘If you don’t want to pay more, use less’: Parliament debates new water caps for farmers