BY:JUBILANT CHEYEZA BALOYI
Johannesburg residents are facing yet another water outage, leaving many without access to clean drinking water. Residents in Soweto, Roodeport, and Randburg enter another week without water after a power outage at the main Eikenhof pumping station, resulting in dry taps.
Joburg Water says they are trying their best to solve the water crisis that has affected most parts of Johannesburg and are working hard to find a solution to the problem.
According to Johannesburg Water electromechanical manager, Gugulethu Quma, “We are studying the entire network from a modeling perspective and physically inspecting the valves on the ground. There are teams that have worked on that, and we are currently assessing the impact. We are now working on what we call interconnection, but the water system is quite complex because we need pressure, flow, as well as gravity.”
The water outage has had a significant impact on residents, who have been forced to queue for water at communal taps or buy bottled water.
The outages have also disrupted businesses and schools. Frustrated residents said it has been more than 10 days without water. They are struggling with this crisis, and it has affected their daily lives since it started. They have to dig deep into their pockets to purchase water to survive, even though they have access to water through relatives and friends, it is not enough for them.
One of the affected residents, Lesego Morokane, said that she had to visit her friends who are not affected by the water crisis to have access to water. “I have been making alternatives the entire time, visiting other friends as an alternative, but also buying water as well because we have no choice. Electricity we can handle, but water, there’s no substitute for water.”
Joburg Water has provided tanks of water for those affected by the water crisis to have access to water. The water crisis seems to be far from over. Residents have called on Joburg Water to communicate with them more effectively. Joburg Water said that they are not sure when the matter will be resolved.