Several communities in Johannesburg have taken to the streets this week over the lack of water, a problem they say they’ve had to contend with for weeks, if not months.
From Westbury to Coronationville, Sophiatown and Ivory Park, frustrated residents blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks to register their unhappiness over dry taps – as running battles with the police escalated for days.
The water shortages have been worsened by poor communication from the City of Joburg and Johannesburg Water to the affected areas. The city has faced multiple crises in its water network, which have resulted in inconsistent water supply to residents across the metro.
Water infrastructure has been poorly maintained for years, and has failed to keep up with population growth and development. Non-revenue water losses in Joburg are almost at 50%, meaning billions of litres of water meant for delivery to households are lost through leaks and burst pipes. The city has had growing water problems since last year, when it emerged that out of the 127 reservoirs, 44 have been identified as leaking and 22 are being prioritised for refurbishment.
But even more worrying is how this situation has been allowed to deteriorate further since then. Last month, Joburg Water told residents of Westbury and Coronationville they’d have to wait at least four months to get a reliable water supply.
This was because, according to officials, the problems at Hurst Hill reservoirs, which supply the area and others, had worsened, leaving them with dry taps for weeks. Water tankers have been provided to the affected areas to mitigate the negative effects of the water shortages but residents say the supply of water has been erratic.
What residents now need is to be assured of constant water supply, which Joburg mayor Dada Morero said they will be working day and night to ensure residents have . He said 15 water tankers would be deployed to the affected areas for the time being.
This is no longer a problem confined to the areas currently affected but a citywide crisis that needs to be tackled with a long-term plan to ensure more communities don’t suffer in the future.
Stopgap measures such as water tankers are open to abuse and corruption, which will further deprive the city of much-needed financial resources. The root cause of the crisis is infrastructure decay, which the city and Morero must shoulder responsibility for failing to maintain and prioritise, at great cost to Joburg citizens.
SowetanLIVE
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