Johannesburg Water provide update on restoration of Kite Street water tower

Residents served by the Kite Street water tower will have a long wait to experience anything resembling normality.

Ward 85 Councillor, Zoné Hughes relayed a response from Johannesburg Water that she had received following her approach to the entity. Residents of Swan Circle and the adjacent streets have been battling low water pressure for almost two decades and when load-shedding strikes, their taps run dry.

Also read: Residents left high and dry as defunct water tower in Kite Street allowed to stand idle

Elaborating on why the tower was initially decommissioned, Johannesburg Water stated, “The towers in Finch and Kite Streets are supplied from a common pump station at the corner of Bickel and Du Toit Streets. That pump station has no backup electricity supply.”

Also read: Witpoortjie residents fed-up with water and electricity woes

The response continued, “The Kite Street tower was designed to act as a balancing tank, meaning that during the period of low water demand, the excess water pumped into the network is stored and during high water demand the water is then released and the pump station switches on.

“As demand grew over the years, the pump became inadequate to pump enough water for both consumption and storage into the Finch and Kite Street towers. As a result, the pump station needs to be operated for a longer time defeating the need for the Kite Street tower,” concluded the explanation.

Hughes asked what plans were in place to recommission the Kite Street tower to provide nearby residents with a consistent, pressurised water supply.

The response painted a bleak picture, stating, “Johannesburg Water’s long-term plan is to construct a dedicated pump station for the Kite Street tower and associated pipelines while dedicating the existing pump station to Finch Street only. However, due to budget constraints, the required project has been put into the 10-year capital plan.”