While the country continues to bear the brunt of load-shedding, municipalities in Gauteng have warned that if it is not resolved, some communities may be without water as their infrastructure has been affected by power outages.
Yesterday, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Puleng Mopeli said pump stations, which supply water to towers in various areas, have been affected.
Mopeli said 15 Joburg Water towers have been impacted and have little-to-no-water during load-shedding.
He said the affected areas include Northcliff, Ormonde, Baragwanath Ext 1, Rabie Ridge and Florida.
“Customers in these tower zones will experience low pressure or no water during the duration of the load-shedding period. Johannesburg Water is monitoring affected infrastructure and will ensure that water supply is restored as soon as possible to customers. Johannesburg Water appeals to customers to reduce consumption during this time,” said Mopeli.
Similarly, the City of Tshwane has warned of possible water cuts in high-lying areas such as Laudium and Waterkloof Ridge.
MMC for utilities and regional operations Darryl Johnson said load-shedding has already affected some of its reservoirs.
“A key challenge is that extensive load-shedding may result in water outages affecting our city, particularly in high-lying areas. Much of the city’s water and sanitation reticulation systems rely on electricity. Our water treatment works and pump stations need electricity to operate.
“While we have reservoirs with storage capacity to last through short interruptions, those reservoirs rely on continuous flow to keep full and be prepared for outages,” said Johnson.
“With load-shedding happening so frequently that the continuous flow of water is interrupted, reservoirs that are under significant pressure, such as high-lying reservoirs, may slowly have their water level lowered until they threaten to run dry.
“We have tried as best as possible to exempt our water treatment works and key pump stations from load-shedding to ensure that water keeps flowing, but it is not possible to exempt all the water network systems requiring electricity,” he said.
Johnson also cautioned residents to limit their water consumption as the municipality tries to manage the energy crisis.
kokam@sowetan.co.za
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