Joburg Water has deployed 18 additional tankers to areas heavily impacted by a pump failure at Rand Water’s Eikenhof station earlier this week. The entity’s systems have been struggling to recover from the incident, but on a positive note, Rand Water managed to repair the air valve that was vandalised on Wednesday.
“As a result, pumping at the Yeoville reservoir resumed just before 8am on Thursday, and by mid-morning, the water levels were sitting at 5.73m. The reservoir currently has two pumps operating, and water supply to high-lying areas should start improving,” says the entity’s spokesperson, Puleng Mopeli.
Water levels at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital are at maximum capacity, while the Helen Joseph Hospital system is at 75%, with water flow into the hospital remaining strong.
Mopeli says most systems, such as Eagles Nest, Alan Manor, and Naturena, are showing steady improvement, while the Commando system remains the same as yesterday but is at least not deteriorating.
“However, Hursthill and Brixton reservoirs are still critical.”
Because the Weltevredenpark reservoir is recovering – it is currently 62.35% full – this will help sustain water levels at the Waterval reservoir, which feeds into the Commando system, she adds.
“If there are no unplanned interruptions to the system overnight, then there should be improved water levels by Friday.”
The Honeydew and Boschkop reservoirs are performing better than Wednesday, with both systems sitting at 0.42m and 1.57m, respectively. As the Weltevredenpark reservoir improves, the two systems will also improve.
The Cosmo City reservoir (which is currently at 2.02m) inlet was closed overnight and opened at 7.30 am on Thursday morning to assist Honeydew and Boschkop. About 10 mobile water trucks have been provided for the Honeydew and Boschkop areas.
Mopeli says the Crown Gardens reservoir is currently sitting at 0.92m, tower 1 is at 2.01m, and tower 2 is at 1.81m, making the water levels critical at this stage. Inflow suddenly stopped on Wednesday afternoon, and technicians are investigating the reasons for this. Alternative water supply will be provided.
“Johannesburg Water technical teams continue to monitor the system, and further updates will be provided to customers,” says Mopeli, urging residents in affected areas to conserve water and use it sparingly.
Written by Nolwazi Dhlamin
23/03/2023