Johannesburg Water outperforms Gauteng municipalities in the 2023 Blue Drop Report
Johannesburg Water has achieved the number one spot in Gauteng in supplying the best drinking water quality in the province. Johannesburg Water also rated in the top three best-performing water service institutions on the drinking water quality supply nationally.
The 2023 Blue Drop Report showed that Johannesburg Water achieved a 98.10% score, an improvement from the 96.06% score achieved in 2014. The required minimum score to achieve the Blue Drop certification status is ≥95%, which is a score considered excellent.
The Blue Drop process measures and compares the results of the performance of water service institutions.
“As Johannesburg Water, we continuously strive to provide water of the highest quality to the City’s millions of residents and customers. Through our testing laboratories, we pride ourselves in being the best water service authority in Gauteng, while ensuring that the water coming out of Johannesburg’s taps is clean, safe, and healthy to consume,” says Johannesburg Water’s Acting Chief Operations Officer, Jones Mnisi.
Johannesburg Water will continue with the service of ensuring that its residents receive excellent drinking water and prepare for the next Blue Drop audit process, which will be conducted in 2025.
The national department relaunched the Blue Drop certification programme in 2021. The incentive-based regulation is an innovative and uniquely South African response to challenges in the water sector. The Blue Drop certification mainly addresses Drinking Water Quality Management Regulation.
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Issued by Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing
Johannesburg Water systems improving and moving in an upward trajectory
Johannesburg Water’s reservoirs and towers continue showing steady improvement. As at this morning, Thursday 9 November, the Entity’s systems had shown notable improvement over the last two weeks.
This follows weeks of water supply interruptions experienced in various areas across the City of Johannesburg.
This is the result of a combination of factors, including Johannesburg Water’s mitigation strategies to boost supply and improved bulk supply from Rand Water. The mitigation interventions include throttling (reducing pressure and flow) the outlets of critical reservoirs to 90% overnight, and sometimes completely closing some systems where necessary, to help build capacity for the following day.
Since the beginning of this week the following systems, which had been severely impacted, are performing at satisfactory levels:
• The South Hills tower started the week at 65% and was sitting at 80% for two consecutive mornings.
• The Brixton tower (Commando system) started the week off at 88% on Monday and has been full for the last two days.
• The Hursthill 1 reservoir (Commando system) began the week at 40% capacity and by Thursday morning, was sitting at 60%.
Johannesburg Water continues to monitor all systems and implement daily mitigation strategies to help boost supply. The Entity thanks residents who are observing Level-1 water restrictions and customers are urged to continue using water sparingly.
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Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
Johannesburg Water to roll out prepaid smart meter project to Orange Farm & parts of Soweto
Following the switching from open mode to prepaid smart meters in Cosmo City from 1 November, the rolling out is now extending to other areas. These include, Diepkloof, Orlando East and West, as well as Orange Farm.
The rollout will take place as follows: Orlando East – 13 November 2023
Orlando West – 15 November 2023
Diepkloof – 27 November 2023
Orange Farm – 28 November 2023
Johannesburg Water is currently conducting consultation processes with ward councillors and the community to educate residents on various issues, including the benefits of the new prepaid smart meters, where and how to purchase water, the importance of paying for services, as well as the Expanded Social Package (ESP).
As such, Johannesburg Water is urging the residents of Orlando East and West, Diepkloof, and Orange Farm to ensure that they all have a Customer Interface Unit (CIU). CIUs are display units that are installed inside houses and linked to prepaid water meters and are crucial for loading units when purchasing water credits.
If customers have never received a CIU, or have lost a CIU, they can visit their nearest City of Johannesburg Customer Service Centre, where they will need to provide the following information: the property owner’s name and surname, physical address of the property, meter number and related contact details. The cost for replacing a lost CIU is R680. The refusal of switching to prepaid smart meters will lead to Level 3 water cuts, and residents will then have to pay to be reconnected.
Johannesburg Water systems impacted by power trip at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant
Several Johannesburg Water’s systems have been affected by a power trip that occurred at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant on Thursday night, 5 October.
The Rand Water Eikenhof system is currently under tremendous strain which in turn has affected the stability of certain reservoirs within the Johannesburg Water system.
Increase in demand and the power trip at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch treatment plant has further affected the water supply to Johannesburg Water key reservoirs.
Within the Commando system, which comprises the Hursthilll, Crosby and Brixton reservoirs, are critically low. The Brixton reservoirs had to be isolated/closed completely on Thursday evening up until this morning to build up capacity to the reservoir.
The Crown Gardens reservoir is also critically low and had to be isolated on Thursday evening, 5 October to build capacity.
Johannesburg Water is constantly monitoring the network to explore any other options to mitigate and find solutions to the water challenges in the area zone.
Alternative water has been arranged for the affected areas. Further updates will be provided to customers.
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Issued by Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
Residents urged to reduce water usage as demand outstrips supply
Johannesburg Water notes with concern the current high water consumption and urges residents to reduce usage. This has been reiterated by bulk supplier, Rand Water who have warned the entity that if consumption is not reduced, extreme measures may have to be instituted.
This coincides with the implementation of the City of Johannesburg’s Level-1 water restrictions, which run from 1 September to 31 March, annually. The restrictions are due to increasing water consumption caused by the warmer weather and lack of rain. However, with South Africa being a water-scarce country, the entity urges residents to use water sparingly.
The City has also noticed unsustainable increase in water demand, this renders Water Conservation and Water Demand Management a strong priority in Johannesburg, to ensure a continuous and sustainable water supply and to avoid putting strain on the City’s water supply systems due to high water demand outstripping supply.
Failure to reduce water consumption, will lead to the implementation of extreme measures to control the excessive increase. We therefore request communities to be ambassadors for accountable water use.
Under level-1 water restrictions, the watering of gardens is prohibited between 6am and 6pm from 1 September to 31 March. Furthermore, residents are not permitted to wash paved areas and driveways using hose pipes.
Now more than ever, it is imperative that we change our habits when it comes to water use. We can all make a difference by introducing one small change a day.
Here are simple water-saving habits to implement into your daily routine:
• Do not leave taps dripping
• Wash your car on the grass with grey water as this will water your lawn at the same time
• Shorten your showering time
• Use a glass of water to rinse when brushing your teeth
• Take shallow baths and avoid filling your bath to a depth greater than 100mm
• Reuse grey water to water your garden or pot plants
• Fix all leaking plumbing features in your house.
Johannesburg Water is committed to providing sustainable water. As such, water restrictions will be enforced by fines to customers who contravene the Water Services By-Law.
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Issued by Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
