Johannesburg is facing a severe water crisis that demands immediate and sustained action from authorities, businesses and residents.
The recent water crisis meeting between the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, the Gauteng Premier, Rand Water and the City of Johannesburg (see the joint statement here) was a critical step, bringing together key stakeholders from the national level, including the Minister, to the local level, such as the mayor. This meeting aimed to align existing efforts and plans to tackle the city’s escalating water issues. It’s evident that these challenges are immense and cannot be resolved by local government alone.
Joburg is already under level 1 water restrictions (see here).
Joburg Water’s decision to throttle water every night from 9pm to 4am is not new but at least now we know that this is going to be an everyday experience. The briefing mentioned that this will be in areas with high water usage. We call on Joburg Water to provide regular, clear, up-to-date information identifying the areas affected.
A significant development is the plan to ring-fence funds for water and sanitation. This is in the Joburg Water Turnaround Strategy that was approved by the City council in July, and is one of the strategies for addressing the crisis listed by the meeting, so we now want to see the City of Joburg honouring and implementing that strategy.
The overwhelming problem is the Joburg water losses. The crisis meeting noted the 2023 No Drop report statistic of 35% water losses in Joburg. The Minister repeated the authorities’ complaint that Joburg uses as average of 279 litres of water per person per day, much higher than the global average of 173 litres. However, the Joburg Water annual report for 2022/23 (the most recent available) reports 46% non-revenue water, so the City’s water losses mean that paying consumers are using considerably less.
While Joburg Water has surveyed its water pipelines and increased the number of repair and maintenance teams, it is unclear where the additional personnel and teams for repairs and maintenance will come from, and how the budget will be allocated.
The plan looks good, but we need to understand the implementation, costs and time lines for action. It is interesting that there was no mention of the plans to repair the 20 leaking reservoirs.
The plan notes that Joburg Water intends “implementing cut-offs of illegal connections in key informal settlements” and the City appears to have started implementing this, with cut-offs and conflict in Phumla Mqashi on Tuesday (see here). We call on the City to ensure that where illegal connections are cut, that residents have access to basic supplies. Cutting off communities without ensuring alternatives is unacceptable.
While the briefing primarily focused on non-revenue water, it’s crucial to urgently address water access and the deteriorating condition of wastewater treatment facilities in the city.
“It is important that critical efforts are made to fix wastewater treatment works, such as Joburg’s Bushkoppies and Goudkoppies plants, and pump stations that have been discharging raw sewage into rivers,” says Dr Ferrial Adam, WaterCAN Executive Manager.
Joburg should also urgently investigate strategies for reclaiming wastewater.
“The reality is that we will face water challenges in Gauteng for the next three to five years. It is imperative for everyone to play a role in preventing a total collapse of the water system. As a nation, we must urgently change our relationship with water,” says Adam.
“We need your help to safeguard our water future. We must continue to report and monitor leaks and highlight pollution issues. Conserve water in your daily activities. Join community efforts to clean and protect our rivers and reservoirs. Watch over how our municipalities manage our water supplies. Together, we can make a difference and ensure a sustainable water supply for Johannesburg.”
WaterCAN will continue to build our network of water activists to monitor water resources, advocate for improved access to water and hold all polluters accountable.