Rand Water’s planned maintenance work for May to July
The maintenance will be conducted in a phased approach.
Rand Water Group Chief Executive, Sipho Mosai outlined the details of the scheduled infrastructure maintenance project that will commence on May 29 at a media briefing on May 27 in Glenvista.
He stated that planned maintenance is crucial to increasing capacity and enhancing the availability, reliability, and efficiency of Rand Water’s systems.
This will ensure a more resilient and adaptive water supply network that can meet increasing water demand from August.
The main maintenance operation is scheduled to begin 03:00 and is expected to be completed on June 2 at 17:00.
“The planned maintenance work is from May to July. We targeted the winter months because there is low demand for water, as there is no swimming pool topping and no watering of the grass. We do preventative schedule maintenance like we did last year where we conducted a major one in Eikenhof, and people thought they would have a bleak Christmas, however, it was not; it was successful maintenance,” he said.
Mosai noted that in order to supply water 24/7 one needs a reliable infrastructure.
He said Rand Water maintenance is informed by:
• Reliability Centered Maintenance philosophy by Rand Water procedures, planned maintenance and preventative maintenance.
• Legislative Maintenance where mechanical, electrical and dam safety regulations are taken into consideration.
• Bulk Water Supply Contract – addressing supply interruptions and maintaining mechanical and electromagnetic flow meters.
During the maintenance period, the pumping capacity at the Eikenhof, Palmiet, Mapleton, and Zwartkopjes systems will be reduced.
As a result, areas within the cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and Tshwane may experience low water pressure or intermittent supply. The maintenance may also impact water provision to the local municipalities of Rand West, Mogale City, Merafong, Madibeng, Lesedi, Govan Mbeki, Rustenburg, Royal Bafokeng Administration, and Victor Khanye, as well as Thembisile Hani, Midvaal, and Emfuleni.
The maintenance work has been strategically scheduled during the low consumption months of May to July to minimise disruptions and better manage the potential impact on water supply.
Residents may experience low or no water pressure during the maintenance period. There will be arrangements for alternative water supply at strategic points within the residential areas. However, residents are encouraged to store water in preparation for the maintenance. Please note that the system will take several days to recover fully, and the normal water supply will resume upon completion of the maintenance.
Timeline of the maintenance:
• From May 29 at 03:00 to June 2 at 17:00, no pumping at Mapleton Pumping Station for the whole duration.
• June 3, Palmiet System, Klipriviersberg isolation for cleaning and inspection and pumping will be reduced to 67% for 10 hours.
• June 30 to July 2, Eikenhof System, pipe repairs at Zuikerbosch Plant and cleaning of sedimentation tank at Vereeniging Plant, and no pumping for six hours. It will be increased to 50% for 42 hours and then be increased 80% for the remaining 19 days.
• June 30 to July 2, Zwartkopjes System, valve replacements and no pumping for the duration of the maintenance.
