Gauteng, South Africa – Water supply challenges in Gauteng have been a cause for concern in many areas, but there is renewed hope following a recent visit by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu. During his visit, Minister Mchunu engaged with key stakeholders, including Rand Water, Johannesburg Water, and municipalities, to address the pressing issue of water shortages.
One of the immediate measures announced by Minister Mchunu is the implementation of “water shifting” as a short-term solution to mitigate water outages. Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala explained that water shifting involves transferring a surplus of water from one supply system to another facing shortages, effectively supplementing the supply.
Johannesburg Water, experienced in this practice, often refers to it as a “bypass.” The Minister’s commitment to addressing the water supply crisis was further underscored during a meeting with Johannesburg residents. Five crucial points from this meeting were presented to stakeholders during an evening forum.
These key points include:
Accountability: The community plays a vital role in holding the government responsible for ensuring reliable water supply.
Water Shifting: Implementing this strategy to balance water supply between systems.
Reservoir Construction and Refurbishment: Building and improving reservoirs, including temporary ones, to alleviate pressure on existing infrastructure.
Timeline for Additional Water Supply: Rand Water is expected to provide a timeline for pumping an extra 150 megalitres of water.
Water Conservation: Encouraging responsible water use and conservation practices.
The outcomes of the stakeholder meeting were set to be communicated on Thursday, but the press briefing was postponed due to ongoing meetings and outstanding plans requested from Rand Water and municipalities. According to department spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi, Minister Mchunu is actively engaging with stakeholders to ensure swift and effective solutions.
Meanwhile, in Ekurhuleni, a disruption at the Mapleton pump station on Monday resulted in water outages in Pretoria East. Rand Water noted that this incident had a cascading effect on reservoirs, affecting multiple local municipalities.
Prior to this, an outage at the Zuikerbosch water treatment plant in September had already impacted water supply in various areas. Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo is actively involved in resolving ongoing water outages and has emphasized the need for technical teams to work together to find solutions.
As Gauteng navigates these water supply challenges, there is a concerted effort to ensure accountability, conservation, and the implementation of short-term measures to alleviate the situation and secure a reliable water supply for the region.
