Rand Water recently undertook a month-long, extensive infrastructure maintenance project that impacted the City of Johannesburg. The work has progressed rapidly and is drawing to a close.
As the bulk water services provider for municipalities including the City of Johannesburg’s entity Johannesburg Water, residents were informed about the maintenance and upgrades and potential water disruptions.
“Rand Water’s month-long, extensive infrastructure maintenance initiative in Johannesburg has been progressing steadily. Joburg Water is continually communicating updates to keep all residents and businesses informed,” says Nombuso Shabalala, spokesperson for Johannesburg Water.
The maintenance of Rand Water’s infrastructure began on 22 June 2024 and is scheduled to end on 29 July 2024.
“During the different phases of the maintenance, Johannesburg Water customers were affected by low pressure or no water supply, and full restoration of the systems following each maintenance took approximately five days or longer,” says Shabalala.
She adds that the second phase (two of three) of the maintenance work at Rand Water’s Palmiet Pump Station began on 15 July 2024 as planned. The maintenance was scheduled to last until Wednesday, 17 July 2024, during which pumping was reduced to 68% for 50 hours. The reduced pumping resulted in intermittent supply to some systems, low pressure for others, and no water for others.
The areas supplied by the Sandton and Midrand systems would take longer to recover as the reservoirs needed to refill first. Shabalala notes that the extensive maintenance period had affected residents, but the entity had made extra efforts to ensure that those affected were regularly updated and informed.
Rand Water also strategically scheduled the maintenance during the colder period of June and July in preparation for the higher demand season, which begins with increased temperatures from August 2024.
“Johannesburg Water has been providing, and continues to provide, alternative water supplies at strategic points within residential areas. However, residents are encouraged to continue storing water during the maintenance period,” says Shabalala.
Johannesburg Water supports maintenance initiatives that lead to improved service delivery for the City of Johannesburg.
“Residents are encouraged to continue conserving water where possible and to stay informed through official channels for further updates,” says Shabalala.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
26/07/2024
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