Thirsty and Frustrated: Joburg Residents Hunt for Joburg Water’s Tanks

While the maintenance is welcomed and essential, frustrations with Joburg Water are mounting. The utility had promised to deploy 85 water trucks and place 300 JoJo tanks near hospitals, clinics, old age homes, schools, and police stations. However, residents still do not know where these can be found.

“In many parts of Johannesburg, people claim they have not seen water tanks and have been without water for days. The hardest-hit areas include Observatory, Kensington, Greenside, Emmarentia, Melville, North Riding, Crown Mines, Bergbron, Killarney, Witpoortjie, and parts of Randburg,” says Dr Ferrial Adam, Executive Manager of WaterCAN.

Residents support the necessary maintenance of water infrastructure, but poor communication has left many angry and frustrated. Better planning and months of communication were needed, not just a few weeks.

“Communication and information about the tankers and JoJo tanks have been very poor. Joburg Water needed more planning. It seems they reach an emergency and then just wing it,” says Adam.

The utility has also failed to provide clear information about which suburbs are linked to each system, leaving residents confused over whether the information on a specific water tower or reservoir is part of their system or not. This makes many of the updates provided by Joburg Water meaningless.

Rand Water is conducting maintenance and upgrading pipelines to improve the water supply system. The work is expected to continue for five weeks until July 29.

At todays Water Forum meeting, WaterCAN requested that Joburg Water provide precise locations of the water tanks, the number of trucks currently in use, and where the 300 JoJo water tanks will be placed. According to Joburg Water’s records from this morning’s meeting with Rand Water, several water reservoirs are already empty only a few days into this scheduled maintenance. People are fed up and desperate for water.