- Extensive maintenance is being done by Rand Water that will affect water distribution to taps between 22 June and 5 August.
- Residents have been encouraged to use water sparingly during this time and not to waste water unnecessarily.
- Various areas in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Mogale City will be affected over the next five weeks on different days, depending on where the planned maintenance work is done.
On Tuesday, Rand Water allowed the media to view some of the maintenance and infrastructure work that it is doing over the next 35 days at one of its distribution depots - the Waterval Depot, in Johannesburg.
The Waterval Depot is the site of the infamous valve that was mysteriously not opened, leading to longer delays in water returning to residents during the March water outages.
READ | Joburg water crisis - Day 11: City admits closed valve stopped supply to dry suburbs
News24 spoke to Rand Water's executive manager for bulk water distribution, Ntombenhle Tau, and its spokesperson Makenosi Maroo, as well as water expert Professor Anja du Plessis to find out how the planned maintenance will affect residents.
What is Rand Water doing during this maintenance period?
From 22 June to 29 July, Rand Water - which treats water and supplies bulk potable water to municipalities - will maintain and fix some of its infrastructure as a proactive measure.
There are 11 scheduled pumping areas that will affect areas in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, and Mogale City, among others.
Rand Water is doing this planned maintenance "to preserve the quality and integrity of the infrastructure, reduce maintenance costs in the long term and increase the lifespan of the infrastructure and assets".
READ | Extended outages and slow recovery due to Rand Water's maintenance
All four booster stations will be affected. These are:
- Eikenhof,
- Palmiet,
- Mapleton,
- and Zwartkopjes systems.
The Waterval depot News24 visited has two pipelines that receive water from the Eikenhof pump station and fill Waterval reservoir one and Waterval reservoir two. Both these reservoirs were built in the 1950s and 1960s, but are not interconnected. Rand Water is now connecting them so that they can supply water to either reservoir if one gets depleted.
Rand Water says over these five weeks, infrastructure will receive care, valves will be fixed, upgrades to electrical systems will happen, sedimentation tanks will be cleaned and pipelines will face repairs.
Will there be no water during these five weeks?
Rand Water assures that water supply will still flow, but at a reduced rate.
Water is expected to flow, albeit at low pressure but dry taps cannot be ruled out.
Because Rand Water does not distribute water to consumers, if residents experience dry taps, it falls under the ambit of Joburg Water and the municipalities that the bulk water company supplies.
To avoid a complete lack of water, municipalities need to manage their systems and ensure that burst pipes are fixed in good time; while consumers need to be cognisant of their water use, especially those in low-lying areas.
Which areas will be affected?
Rand Water says that depending on which booster system is being worked on, different areas will be affected on different days.
A list of the areas that Rand Water says will be affected can be found here.
It has also requested Joburg Water and the affected municipalities to advise residents on the extent and the impact of water supply shortages in their respective areas.
READ | Water supply pinch: Disruptions in Gauteng as Rand Water begins crucial maintenance
Joburg Water is sharing updates on its social media pages daily, including affected areas and updates on the planned and unplanned water outages.
Rand Water, Joburg Water and councillors are expected to have engagements during this period to ensure seamless communication.
What should residents do if they have no water?
If residents experience very low flow to no water, they should report it to Joburg Water, their municipality and their councillors.
This is important because it allows these responsible authorities to check if these water issues are due to maintenance or if there is a bigger problem, such as burst pipes, major leaks and reservoirs running dry.
Rand Water has encouraged residents to reduce their water consumption during this period and asked residents not to stockpile water.
Residents are also encouraged to re-use as much water as they can.
Joburg Water has announced that stationary and roaming tankers will be available at hospitals, old-age homes and strategic points including high-lying areas - as those residents are the first to be affected by low flow. It said 85 water trucks and 250 static tanks would be available.
When can residents expect full pressure and water systems to be back to normal?
Rand Water says that the system will be fully replenished a week after the completion of the maintenance project.
This means that should everything go according to plan, the water systems will be back to normal by 5 August.
However, Rand Water confirmed that it is difficult to estimate how long water may be out for "as this will depend on consumption during the maintenance period".
Why is Rand Water doing this now?
Winter has usually low water demand, and it is easier to work on water purification stations and infrastructure during this period.
READ | 'Don't panic, but prepare,' says Rand Water ahead of extended maintenance
This will help ensure the reliability of infrastructure during the higher-demand summer season.
Will this help us avoid more water outages?
To a certain degree.
These projects assist Rand Water in keeping its infrastructure in an acceptable to good condition, reduce losses within the system, and maintain efficiency in supplying customers with reliable bulk potable water.
This project will help to preserve the quality and integrity of infrastructure and extend the life span of its assets.
However, it is Joburg Water's responsibility to distribute water to residents and to maintain the infrastructure of that distribution, too.
