Joburg water outage highlights city’s shortfalls in providing to residents
Johannesburg Water said the tankers supplied were not enough to accommodate all the people that needed water, and some were not located in accessible areas.
A water tanker stationed in Johannesburg to assist residents still reeling from a mass outage on 7 March 2024. Picture: X/@JHBWater
JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg Water has admitted that during widespread water outages in the city, it did not supply enough tankers to accommodate the people who were without water.
The utility held a media briefing in Newtown earlier on Friday to provide an update on its efforts to restore water supply to some parts of the metro.
ALSO READ:
- 'People will die if they don't fix these water problems': Chronically-ill Mogale City resident
- Joburg Water says water system will fully recover in Linden and Blairgowrie over the weekend
This after residents in Linden and Blairgowrie were left with dry taps for 12 days, following a power outage at the Eikenhof pump station two weeks ago.
Joburg Water said the last two weeks highlighted the utility's shortfalls when it came to providing alternative water supply to residents during interruptions.
It said tankers were supplied, but that there were not enough to accommodate all the people that needed water, and some were not located in accessible areas.
However, Joburg Water's Logan Munsamy said there were not a lot of tankers, as they are not meant to supply water for long periods of time.
"Remember, water tanking is not meant to replace portable water; it's not meant to replace your tap water in your house. It's a measure we use when the system has interruptions."
Meanwhile, Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda apologised to residents for the frustration caused by the outages.