Water outages: City ramps up water tankers as taps run dry in these Joburg areas

After Johannesburg Water completed its maintenance work on the Eikenhof and Zwartkoppies systems, many taps were still running dry in thousands of homes, and the city’s reservoirs were reported to be critically low.

Johannesburg Water has warned that several key reservoirs are under severe strain following widespread infrastructure repairs and ongoing demand.

A major phase of pipe leak repairs at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Plant concluded on Wednesday, but supply remains constrained, and water levels across the Commando System are still recovering.

The utility confirmed that while water pumping resumed at 90% capacity and may reach full capacity by Thursday afternoon, full system recovery could take up to two weeks.

Acting Joburg city manager Kiba Kekana announced in council that each affected ward in the city will be assigned two extra water tankers while restoration work continues.

Critically low reservoirs

According to a Joburg Water update, reservoirs including Hursthill 1, Crown Gardens Tower, and Yeoville Pump Station are at critically low levels.

“Hursthill 1 is on bypass. Intermittent and unstable water pressure may be experienced at times.

“Crown Gardens Tower is experiencing low to no water pressure, and Yeoville Pump Station is showing low to no water pressure,” it said.

Crosby and Parktown 2 reservoirs are supplying fairly, but under pressure.

Brixton Tower remains at low pressure with only two pumps operational. Alexander Park is supplying fairly, but is facing high demand.

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Widespread outages across the city

Joburg Water noted the following areas will be without water or face low pressure on Thursday due to ongoing upgrade and maintenance projects:

• Johannesburg CBD,
• Newtown,
• Jeppestwon,
• Doornfontein,
• Newlands,
• Albertville,
• Montgomery Park,
• Albertskroon,
• Wilgespruit,
• Ikemeleng Village,
• Hoeveld Road and Glover Road,
• Whiteridge North,
• Lonehill,
• Sandton.

The outages around the Joburg CBD, Sandton and Lonehill are unplanned.

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Parktown and Dunkeld reservoirs are empty

Meanwhile, the Parktown and Dunkeld reservoirs are empty.

The areas affected by this are:

• Westcliff,
• Parkwood,
• Forest Town,
• Birdhaven,
• Saxonwold,
• Dunkeld West,
• Hyde Park,
• Melrose,
• Illovo,
• Parktown North,
• Melrose North,
• Riviera,
• Killarney,
• Parkview,
• Oaklands,
• Greenside,
• Houghton Estate,
• Abbotsford,
• Dunkeld,
• Dunkeld West,
• Craighall Park,
• Craighall,
• Parkhurst,
• Part of Hyde Park,
• Part of Illovo, and
• Rosebank.

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Hospitals affected but services continue

Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said on Thursday that several health facilities have been impacted, but contingency plans are in place.

“Charlotte Maxeke Hospital has a nine-million-litre storage capacity and is operating as normal. As of yesterday, it was at 75% capacity,” said Modiba.

At Helen Joseph Hospital, services are continuing with the help of three water tankers and a low-yield borehole.

However, elective procedures have been postponed, and the hospital is prioritising emergency cases to manage the water supply.

Hillbrow Community Health Centre is also affected and currently using JoJo tanks, with water supplied by the municipality.

“Alex CHC was impacted, but we’ve received reports that water has been restored, and services are back to normal,” he added.

Emergency measures are in place

Modiba assured the public that all affected facilities are being closely monitored.

“Most of our facilities have backup systems, including JoJo tanks, reservoirs, or boreholes, helping them to cope with the current situation,” he said.

He also appealed for patience.

“There might be some inconveniences here and there, but we are doing everything possible to sustain services.”

The department has activated emergency measures and is working with municipalities for continued water tanker support, while also implementing its own interventions.

“We appreciate that this interruption is due to necessary maintenance. It’s important that infrastructure is maintained, and we must all work together to mitigate the situation,” Modiba said.

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Meter maintenance and delayed recovery

Rand Water’s bulk meter replacements at various reservoirs may also affect Johannesburg Water systems.

The utility cautioned that after each maintenance operation, it can take up to three days for the water supply to normalise. However, recovery can take up to 14 days after major shutdowns.

“Residents may experience poor pressure to no water during this period,” Joburg Water said, adding that an alternative supply is being arranged at strategic points.

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