SHOCKING: Joburg Residents Can’t Bathe or Cook Due to Ongoing Water Outages

Residents in parts of Gauteng have been experiencing large-scale water interruptions for almost three weeks, with little reprieve from bulk water supplier Rand Water. According to Eyewitness News, multiple factors, including maintenance work, power failure, vandalism, and inadequate water supply infrastructure, have caused ongoing water shortages.

Hundreds of families in areas such as Brixton, Sophiatown, and Westdene have had to rely on water tankers and bottled water for nearly three weeks. Some residents have expressed their frustration about the situation. One resident said, “We have to pay for the water, we have to pay for the electricity, but at the end of the day, we’re not getting any of those.” Another lamented, “We can’t bathe, now, we can’t cook, we can’t do anything – it’s a problem.”

Rand Water has been advised for over a decade that its water supply infrastructure is inadequate. Although the supplier pumps water into reservoirs, residents use it faster than they can refill, making it difficult to estimate how long it will take before the reservoirs reach total capacity.

In the meantime, water tankers are being deployed throughout the affected areas to provide relief. In addition, municipalities are working on short-term and long-term plans to address the issue. Still, municipalities have urged residents to be patient during these interventions.

Also read:

Gauteng Water Shortage Solutions Uncertain – What’s Next?

Picture:  Image by Marlon Ferrer from Pixabay