15 August 2019
Media Statement – immediate release

Johannesburg Water is a service-delivery oriented Entity which has identified key programmes to ensure delivery of reliable and quality services to all residents, including marginalised areas.

The key programmes among others include infrastructure development and access to basic services. The rolling out of the pipe replacement programme will ensure that the number of bursts per kilometre and the number of blockages per kilometre is reduced, resulting in improved levels of service to consumers in the City.

The water and sewer network infrastructure pipes that have a remaining useful life of less than two years will be replaced at a cost of R2.8 billion. Across Hurst Hill alone, the City is implementing three water pipe replacement projects to ensure continuity and improved service delivery with Hurst Hill Phase 1, Hurst Hill Phase 2 and Hurst Hill Phase 3 projects already taking place and all almost at completion stage.

As you drive across the City, you will realise that there are a number of excavations
of water pipe replacement projects in the following areas:
• Booysens
• Glenvista
• Gold Reef – Ophirton
• Gold Reef – Reuven
• Gold Reef Springfield
• Hurst Hill
• Selby
• Wemmer
• Green Side

Johannesburg Water continues to implement projects like Pressure Management, Soweto Infrastructure Upgrade and Renewal as well as Mains Replacement to reduce the water demand.

Key Performance Indicators as of 30 June 2019
• 132 km of water pipes were replaced against an annual target of 80km.
• 43 km of sewer pipes were replaced against an annual target of 42 km.
• 8 287 households were provided with access to basic water against an annual target of 8 004 households.
• 6 528 households were provided with access to basic sanitation against an annual target of 4 834 households.

Pipe bursts
During the 2018/19 financial year 42 977 burst pipes occurred, which is a decline from the 43 301 burst pipes in the 2017/18 financial year and 45 177 burst pipes reported in 2016/17 financial year. This decrease is mainly attributable to improved pressure management and an accelerated pipe replacement programme.

Sewer blockages
During the 2018/19 financial year, 61 928 sewer blockages were experienced in the system, this is also a decline from the 62 835 sewer blockages. In the past three years, JW has managed to replace a total of 191 km and 99 km of water and sewer network respectively. JW aim to replace a total of 404 km of water pipes and 170 km of sewer network in the current IDP period.

This programme is designed towards ensuring a continued reduction of NonRevenue Water(NRW), pipe bursts and sewer blockages throughout the City.

It is estimated that on average JW pipe replacement per year should amount to R415 million for water and R435 million for sewer, in order to meet the pipe renewal target of replacing 1.5% of its asset value per year. Going forward JW will invest more on the pipe replacement programmes.

Through Preventative maintenance programme, the sewer cleaning programme has increased from just over 1 000km to 1 500 km covered in the past financial year, which will have a positive impact on residents lives.

The rolling out of pipe replacement will ensure that the number of bursts per km and the number of blockages per km is reduced, which will result in improved levels of service to customers in the City of Johannesburg.

The organisation has also placed a high emphasis on investment in marginalised areas with R99.6 million spent on 22 projects implemented in Orange Farm, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Soweto, Ennerdale.
Going into the 2019/20 financial year, we will be implementing the following major projects:
• Soweto Infrastructure Renewal,
• Orange Farm Infrastructure Renewal as well as
• Pressure Management in the rest of the City

In conclusion, with the rolling out of the Pipe Replacement Programme, JW intends to use SMMEs and local labourers, so as to create jobs and transform the social and economic standing of the City’s residents.

Cllr. Nico De Jager
MMC: Environment and Infrastructure Services Department
For media queries:
Isaac Dhludhlu
Joburg Water Communications Manager
011 688 1577
072 638 5346

05 August 2019
Immediate Release

Please kindly note that the team currently finished draining the site of all the excess water. The team is working on ensuring that excavation is safe to work in. This they estimate should becompleted in two hours from 11:15.

Once the team is sure that the excavation is safe, they will start to loosen the flexible couplings, which is where the leak was coming from. The team is using flexible couplings because they need to remove a section of the 600mm pipe which is made of asbestos cement and retrofit it with a steel pipe as ac pipes are no longer being manufactured. New flexible couplings compensating for the 2 types of material will be manufactured.

The manufacturer for the fittings needed for the pipe have already been ordered. Estimated delivery of the fittings to site will be at 4. We estimate that we should start to fit them in around 4:30pm. If all goes according to plan repairs should be completed and water opened around midnight.

Water tankers can be found at the following points:

• Spar Shopping Centre, Broadacres
• Cnr. Runnymead and 3rd Street, Chartwell
• Cnr. Romney Close and 3rd Street, Chartwell
• Castellano complex
• Stonefields complex
• Cedar Lakes
• BP Garage, Broadacres Shopping Centre
• Cedar Creek
• Thorntree Complex In Cedar Avenue West
• Watercombe and Zandspruit rd, Farmall
• Royal Canin, Kyasands
• Agulhas and Weiland, Bloubosrand

Two roaming tankers have also been allocated to assist in the area.
Further updates will be provided as required on Johannesburg Water social media pages

• Twitter: @jhbwater
• Facebook: Johannesburg Water

Ends

For media enquiries:
Ms Eleanor Mavimbela
Officer: External Communications
T: +27 (0) 11 688 6672
M: +27 (0) 71 313 6327
E: Eleanor.mavimbela@jwater.co.za

Media Statement
19 July 2019

Johannesburg Water advises in the Fourways area of a major burst on the 600mm main at the river behind Talavera complex in Fourways, a contractor has been appointed for the repairs and will begin work on Monday morning -22 July 2019.

In order to ensure that repairs start on time on Monday, a JW  team will start to isolating/closing water from Sunday morning in order to ensure the pipe is water-free and ready for Monday morning welding, some areas will experience low pressure to no water from the commencement of the isolation.

Areas affected by this planned outage are, Needwood, Broadacres, Maroeladal, Chartwell, Farmall, Bloubosrand and Northriding. We estimate that the repairs may take a minimum of 48 hours and we have arranged for the placement of water tanks in the affected areas.

Water tanks locations:

• • Cedar Lakes

  BP Garage, Broadacres Shopping Centre

• • • Cedar Creek
      Thorntree Complex In Cedar Avenue West
      Spar Shopping Centre-
    • Broadacres
      Cnr. Runnymead and 3rd Street,
    • Chartwell
      Cnr. Romney Close and 3rd Street, Chartwell
    • Castellano complex
    • Stonefields complex
    • Farmall
      Watercombe and Zandspruit rd,
      Refill at Royal Canin –
    • Kyasands
      Agulhas and Weiland, Bloubosrand

Further updates will be provided as required on Johannesburg Water social media pages

• • • Twitter: @jhbwater
    • Facebook: Johannesburg Water

Ends

For media enquiries:

Cllr Nico de Jager

MMC: Environment and Infrastructure Services Department

M : 083 899 2127

E : NicoDe@joburg.org.za

Mr Isaac Dhludhlu

Manager: Marketing and Communications

T: +27 (0) 11 688 1577

M: +27 (0) 72 638 5346

E: Isaac.dhludhlu@jwater.co.za

ACTIVE LEAK DETECTION PROGRAMME

Johannesburg Water has an active leak detection programme that was approved as a part of a five year Water Demand Management strategy in August 2016.

The aim of this strategy is to implement various programmes that will ensure our water demand are reduced to within the limits of our allocation from Rand Water in terms of their Water Use License.

Johannesburg Water has 15 teams that do active leak detection on a daily basis in an effort to reduce water demand within the city.

• These are dedicated teams that survey our water infrastructure on a daily basis picking up leaks that are either visible and not reported or not visible.
• The process that is followed is that they will inspect the water reticulation for any visible leaks, they will also use acoustic listening sticks (equipment that uses the sound the leak makes) to determine if there might be a leak on the system but not visible.
• The visible leaks are reported daily through the SAP PM system to the relevant depot who would then dispatch a plumbing team to repair the leak.
• If they through making use of the listening stick pick up a sound that might be invisible it is further investigated by using ground micro phones and leak noise correlators. These types of equipment allows the operator to pin point the invisible leak more accurately since it is not visible. This will then allow once reported the plumbing team to excavate at the correct location and repair the leak.
• These leak detection teams cover more than 10,500km of our water infrastructure per annum. This is more that 85% of the infrastructure length.
• On average per annum these teams report: 1,456 burst pipes, 5,227 leaking meters, 341 leaking valves and 217 leaking hydrants. These leaks are repaired by the network plumbing teams within the specified response times.
• Annually 8,100 Ml of water is saved due to this programme.

Pipe replacement Programme

Johannesburg Water has implemented a pipe replacement programme over the past five years. By the end of June 2017, 499 km of water pipes have been replaced. Going forward into the next five years, Johannesburg Water plans to replace a further 633 km of water pipes. In replacing these pipes the burst frequencies will reduce and water losses will be minimised.

In the financial year of 2017/18 thus far in:

• Midrand, we have replaced 3500 meters of pipe
• Sandton, 15 171 meters of pipe has already been replaced
• Roodepoort and Diepsloot, we have placed 2281 meters of pipe
• Deep South Region, 3627 meters of pipe have been replaced

Water is a scarce commodity and Johannesburg Water is committed to provide a sustainable water and sanitation supply to all residents of the City. Level 1 water restrictions are still in place and will be enforced by fines to consumers who contravened the Water Services By-law and consumers are urged to report non-compliance by phoning the JMPD 24/7 hotline on 011 758 9650.

09 July 2019
MEDIA STATEMENT

Johannesburg Water advises residents of Cosmo City about a programme to change/upgrade the current water metres to new smart metres. Sakhikhaya Construction Company has been appointed to do the installations at the following extensions of Cosmo City.

1. Extension Zero
2. Extension Three
3. Extension Five
4. Extension Seven
5. Extension Eight
6. Extension Nine
7. Extension Ten

The smart metres will benefit the community a great deal as they will be able to buy water electronically and improve service delivery in the area. A total of 5000 households will be visited by the service provider and we appeal for cooperation in order to complete the project on time. Technical queries should be directed to site camp Manager on 067 403 6278, and if in doubt, please ask for an identity card with a name and surname and a picture of the consultant. We appeal to all residents to continue to report all water and sewer leaks and are reminded that level 1 water restrictions are still in place in the City of Johannesburg.

Media queries should be directed to:
Isaac Dhludhlu – Communications Manager
011 688 1577
Isaac.dhludhlu@jwater.co.za

26 June 2019
Release: Immediate

Johannesburg residents can breathe a sigh of relief after the 54-hour shut down for maintenance work on the B11 bulk supply line of Rand Water went by with minimum impact on households. The installation of the butterfly valve on the 2, 500mm diameter line has now been completed and recharging of the pipeline has commenced. The MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Councillor Nico de Jager wishes to thank residents who adhered to the calls to use water sparingly and to save water during this time. This ensured that a complete no-water situation was avoided.

He further expressed his gratitude to Rand Water for having completed the job within the specified time and keeping residents continuously informed on the progress of this massive undertaking. MMC de Jager also wishes to thank Joburg Water and the various media platforms for their role in keeping residents informed on the status of the project. In spite of this, MMC de Jager also reminded all residents that level-1 water restrictions are still in place. He urged all customers to continue to use water sparingly as we are in the middle of rain-starved Winter. Johannesburg Water, in an effort to maintain a culture of water conservation, is still implementing Level -1 water restrictions according to section 44 (3) of the Water Services By-law: On an annual basis, between 06:00 – 18:00 during 1 September and 31 March; and between 08:00 – 16h00 during 1 April and 31 August, all consumers are prohibited from watering and irrigating their gardens;
All consumers are prohibited from using a hose-pipe to clean paved areas and driveways with municipal water.

For media queries, please contact:

Cllr Nico de Jager
MMC: Environment and Infrastructure Services Department
Call: 083 899 2127
Email: NicoDe@joburg.org.za