Wards 90 and 117 councillors weigh in on Joburg north’s water crisis

Hardly a day goes by when residents are without a drop of water to drink or living without power.

Craighall and surrounds woke up to dry taps on March 1, after experiencing little to no pressure the previous day. Throughout the week, the odds of having water were slim, with outages happening sporadically.
Parkhurst Primary learners were sent home on Monday. Suffering far greater hardship was the neighbouring suburb of Blairgowrie, which went without water for 10 days.
Johannesburg Water and Rand Water technical teams tried to address the ongoing water crisis.
Upon investigation on March 12, the teams discovered that a valve, crucial for water supply, had been closed, significantly impacting the flow into the system. The valve was promptly opened, alleviating pressure on the Linden 1 and Linden 2 reservoirs. Unfortunately, the Kensington B and Blairgowrie reservoirs remain critically low to empty.

Ward councillors had their hands full fielding hundreds of complaints from frustrated residents from across the region.

When asked about how Johannesburg Water was dealing with the constant outages, Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck who is responsible for Parkhurst and Parktown North said, “They are just putting plasters on the rotten and broken infrastructure. The city has no money to fix it now. And even if they did, it will take decades.”
The constant worry of potential water-shedding was also plaguing residents’ minds. “Yes. It won’t be long now before we lose the supply of piped water. There are already over 20 bursts a month in the ward.”
He urged the community to look at getting JoJo tanks that can be filled with mains water, rainwater and water from relief tankers. “Boreholes are an expensive short-term fix – too many of them will lower the water table and they will dry up.”

Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams had his fair share of the outages. He said, “[The water outages] have badly affected locals, some are aware of the deteriorating situation, and make alternative arrangements where possible.”

Williams believes that JW officials in high office are not dealing effectively with the problem. “Depot managers and ops managers, and those under them, are doing their best with limited resources. There is room for improvement among those who are paid to communicate on behalf of the entity.”

Regrettably, he warns the community to prepare for more water outages. “We cannot rely on any of the Joburg entities, at least until there is significant political change.”

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