"People are lining the streets for water," says JoburgCAN’s Julia Fish

Residents are struggling for water as systemic planning failures and budget constraints leave taps dry across the city.

Activists say hundreds of communities are affected, highlighting the urgent need for investment in water infrastructure.

"This has been a long-standing issue in Johannesburg", says Julia Fish, Regional Manager at JoburgCAN, a division of non-profit public benefit organisation, OUTA.

"We're talking about hundreds of communities across the city," Fish explains. "People are lining the streets to try and get water from water tankers in the Joburg CBD, which hasn’t had water for about three days."

According to Fish, two key issues are behind the city’s water problems:

* The lack of budget prioritisation

* A lack of consolidated planning.

She estimates that Johannesburg needs to invest R3.1 billion per year to eliminate the R27 billion backlog in water systems.

"We’ve allowed densification without actually following up with improvements to water reticulation projects," Fish adds.

Julia Fish in conversation with Africa Melane.

Listen below: