Constrained water supply in Johannesburg is leading Johannesburg Water to implement aggressive demand management strategies. The ongoing dry period on top of a major interruption at Palmiet Booster Station has exacerbated the ongoing water woes in the region.
Rand Water’s statement in October warning of a supply depletion has resulted in various strategies being rolled out, the two major solutions being a Level 1 water restriction and the ongoing reduction of leakages and non-revenue water. Speaking to the media, Mzakhe Mtshweni, General Manager of Operations at Johannesburg Water, says “We are being proactive, acting as if this is worse than it is in order to handle the situation. We are meeting the problems as they come, but crucially we are doing what we can to avoid the problems.”
Some water systems are still recovering from the power interruption at Palmiet Booster Station
The system and the problems
Johannesburg Water is currently working at capacity, albeit with only 40% reserve available. The current supply issues were greatly exacerbated by two power interruptions, one occurring on the 4th of November at the Palmiet Booster Station which saw no serious impact, followed by a 4-hour trip on the 6th of November which, “Johannesburg Water could not absorb the impact of” says Mzakhe. This 4-hour trip resulted in a severe disruption to:
- Midrand
- Diepsloot
- Sandton
- Alexandra
While most of the areas have since recovered, there is an ongoing effort to restore the South Hill system that is facing issues due to a purported air bubble within the system.
What is being done
Mzakhe says, “We are currently pursuing our normal demand management strategy, but have included additional aggressive strategies to aid the current situation.” Forming these aggressive strategies are:
Scheduling water supply reduction starting 11th November
- Reduce supply to high draw areas in a scheduled manner
- Water supply reduction between 9 pm and 5 am
Intensified pressure management
- Starting October 2024 repair and maintenance of pressure-reducing valves. So far 15% of these valves have been rehabilitated
- Reduce pressure to high-pressure areas
- Broad installation of Smart Pressure Controllers on pressure-reducing valves.
Aggressive by-law enforcement
- Strict enforcement of by-laws in collaboration with JMPD, SAPS, and other tactical teams
- Remove illegal connections
- Disconnect properties that have bypassed water metres
- Disconnect water supply to businesses without standing fees.
These measures are all in conjunction with Johannesburg Water’s 5-year medium-term Demand Management Plan.
