Veronica Makhoali19 March 2024 | 11:45

Joburg residents urged to use water sparingly amid supply challenges

The struggle to meet demand comes as the critical city power Eikenhof substation, which supplies Rand Water's Eikenhof pump station with electricity, was again tripped by lightning.

Joburg residents urged to use water sparingly amid supply challenges

Picture: Pixabay/balouriarajesh

JOHANNESBURG - Amid an ongoing supply crisis, Johannesburg residents have been urged to use water sparingly as Rand Water works to stabilise the issue.
  
The struggle to meet demand comes as the critical City Power Eikenhof substation, which supplies Rand Water's Eikenhof pump station with electricity, was again tripped by lightning.

Earlier in March, a similar event led to further technical problems and water outages that crippled households for two weeks.

READ: MIYELANI HOLENI: Water outages tailing load shedding requires government's urgent intervention
  
Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said there was a power failure due to a lightning strike at the Eldorado Park substation in Soweto, resulting in many areas being plunged into darkness.

Gwamanda explained that the power cuts also affected the Eikenhof water pump station, which supplies water to reservoirs across the city.

The temporary outage has affected water towers in Linden, Orlando, Honeydew, Brixton and Hursthill Hill water towers.
  
"At this point, we would like to ask that you bear with us on these difficult times. We are committed to ensuring that whatever disruption we encounter, we rush and restore it speedily."

The metro said it would continue to monitor water levels.