Residents in Fairland have been out of water since Tuesday and this has caused panic and conflict between residents on social media.
Ward 89 councillor Amelia Bester would like to inform residents about the current status of the situation and how they will be affected. She said that councillors made residents aware of the water restrictions in place and encouraged them to adhere to the water restrictions.
“In spite of the directive, I found lush green lawns and sparkling full pools during a joint operation with the Metro police two weeks ago. Many residents have been shamelessly abusing the use of borehole water in the Fairland areas and have no regard to and don’t care of the image they portray to neighbours. There’s no quick fix to the water shortage. Unless we have significant rain, we are facing a major crisis,” said Bester.
She added that all residents with boreholes should share that water with their neighbours and remember that all water that is sourced in this manner has to be boiled to make it potable.
Bester also encouraged residents to notify Johannesburg Water immediately when they identify a pipe or leak and forward the reference number to her.
Ward 98 councillor Beverly Weweje said that the reservoirs were closed last night at 5pm because the water level was on 15 per cent. She encouraged residents to understand that they cannot misuse water during water restrictions.
“Last night was quite a scare for most residents, including myself and I hope residents can now know the importance of saving water. Residents from low and high lying areas can expect water within the course of the day,” said Weweje.
Meanwhile, Johannesburg Water marketing and communications manager Tidimalo Chuene said that Fairland is one of the areas that was affected yesterday by the low levels of the Corrien Moore reservoir.
“The reason for the water shortage is because water demand was outstripping supply. Residents are advised to use water sparingly to allow the reservoir to recover for normal water supply to return. The City of Johannesburg needs to make a water saving of 15 per cent in order to avoid entering into Level 3 water restrictions. We need to work together in order to have water for all and to keep a consistent water supply for all,” said Chuene.
