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Critical Water Crisis Meeting Yields Solutions for Residents
The South Hills Water Tower crisis has been going on for several weeks, and this issue is again taking a toll on the affected communities.
The South Hills water tower supplies water to various areas spanning wards 56 and 57, including Linmeyer, South Hills, Risana, Thulisa Park, Rosettenville extension, parts of Oakdene, and the new developments in Moffat Park.
To address this ongoing water crisis and provide much-needed answers and solutions, ward councillors Michael Crichton and Faeeza Chame convened an urgent meeting on September 13 at the Silver Ball in Risana. This gathering included concerned residents and representatives from Johannesburg Water.
This crisis isn’t the first time these areas have experienced water outages in recent years. The recurring disruptions have profoundly impacted these communities, even leading to temporary closures of schools and clinics. For elderly residents in some retirement homes, the challenges of fetching water from water trucks have been particularly arduous.
The series of water outages dates back to June 2021, when a nine-day water outage occurred. Since then, such issues have resurfaced every few months. According to Crichton and Chame, Johannesburg Water has cited supply problems from Rand Water as the source.
Residents, enduring water scarcity since August 11, reported a peculiar schedule with no water during the day, with limited supply between 22:00 and 07:00.
Also read: Concerns Arise as Rand Water Struggles to Meet Surging Demand for Usage
At the meeting, residents understandably demanded answers regarding the inconsistent water supply and its profound impact on their daily lives. Simple tasks like cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene have become increasingly challenging, pushing residents’ frustration to its limits.
Johannesburg Water’s networks manager, Logan Munsamy, addressed the concerned residents and explained the current issue. He stated that the pump station must deliver water to the South Hills water tower, which supplies the surrounding areas. However, Johannesburg Water relies on Rand Water to provide water to feed the pump, and recently, the incoming water supply to the pump station has been either nonexistent or severely reduced.
Munsamy clarified that the Kliprivier Berg Reservoir, which supplies the pump station, is currently at a meagre capacity. It needs to maintain around a 30% level to feed the pumps for water distribution safely. Additionally, higher demand during the summer and spring months has further strained the system.
In addition to the water crisis, residents have also dealt with continuous trips of the pumps at the South Hills water tower. Furthermore, the generator at the water tower appears to be out of operation, impacting the water supply during load-shedding.
Also read: Despite Urgent Call for Cut-Backs, Water Usage Remains High in Joburg
Munsamy assured the residents that the generator is undergoing repairs, addressing issues like the radiator, injectors, and diesel pump. However, there’s currently no timeline for when these repairs will finish.
As the water crisis escalated, ward councillors Crichton and Chame expressed their frustration with the lack of response from municipal officials. They have attempted to seek a resolution from the MMC for Environment and Services (EIS), Jack Sekwaila, but received minimal responses. They have also raised the issue with the Minister of Water Affairs, Senzo Mchunu, in Parliament and submitted written questions through the Shadow Minister of Water Affairs, Leon Basson.
Possible solutions are being explored, including reinstating the reservoir near the South Hills water tower, repositioning and modifying air valves on the line, and reinstating the supply line. Rand Water and Johannesburg Water are also looking into reconfiguring their systems.
Councillors Crichton and Chame intend to bring forward a motion to the council to launch a full investigation into the functionality of the South Hills water tower in light of this crisis.
In response to the pressing concerns, Joburg Water and the ward councillors have committed to providing residents with an update and a clear plan of action to resolve the water crisis within a week.
Source: Urgent water crisis meeting provides answers for residents
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Picture: Unsplash / Ian Talmacs
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