Media Statement
24 March 2023
Johannesburg Water continues providing alternative water supply while stabilising system
Johannesburg Water will continue providing alternative supply to areas with no water. This intervention will remain in place while the Entity’s technical teams work to stabilise the City’s systems.
Some of Johannesburg Water’s infrastructure is finally slowly starting to steady after a week of consistent monitoring. The City’s systems were severely impacted this week after a power failure at Rand Water’s Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant, as well as a pump failure at the bulk supplier’s Eikenhof pump station.
The Crown Gardens system is still critical with the reservoir at 1.6m, while both towers are still empty. No pumping can be done at this stage as the water levels are too low and can only resume when the levels get to 2.5m. The reservoir was monitored throughout the night for water flows into the reservoir, which started steadily increasing from 7am this morning.
Johannesburg Water is in communication with Rand Water and the bulk supplier is investigating its system to find the cause of the low water inflow from their infrastructure. Residents in these areas will have no water. However, Johannesburg Water continues to provide alternative supply.
The Commando system (which comprises the Brixton, Crosby, and Hursthill reservoirs and towers) is also still critical and is being closely monitored. Water levels at the Crosby reservoir dropped slightly from yesterday, however inflow was better at 558 litres per second. The reservoir was closed during the night to allow for inflow. The Brixton reservoir is also performing better than yesterday, and technicians are hoping to continue building capacity into the system. Reservoir levels at the Hursthill 1 and 2 reservoirs are still low, but inflows are improving.
The Alan Manor and Naturena reservoir levels have increased and are back to normal operations, while the Honeydew reservoir is also slowly gaining momentum, although high-lying areas might still experience poor water pressure. Boschkop is performing better than yesterday and is also on its way back to normal operation.
In Johannesburg Central, the Yeoville reservoir has maintained its levels and both its pumps are running smoothly for the second day in a row, while the water levels at Alexander Park have improved. Capacity is steadily building up at both these systems and residents should have sufficient water to sustain them.
The Entity continues to provide alternative water supply, with 17 roaming water tankers being deployed on Friday to service critical areas. Five of the ten water tankers that were roaming in the Honeydew and Boschkop areas will be moved to service the Crown Gardens zones, which remain critical.
The Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospitals’ water supply remains at full capacity.
Johannesburg Water technical teams continue to monitor the system and further updates will be provided to customers.
- Johannesburg Water deploys 18 water tankers – Thurs morning 23 March 2023
– Water tanker sites of areas affected by the Eikenhof system pump failure – Thurs 23 March 2023
Ends