Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest and richest metropolitan area, is thirsting for water ahead of Christmas and the New Year.
Rand Water, the largest water utility in South Africa, which supplies potable water to Gauteng province where Johannesburg is located, had been repairing its main pump station at Eikenhof.
“Rand Water has completed maintenance at its Eikenhof system and pumping has resumed. The system should now start to recover progressively. Water supply will not be noticed immediately but will gradually increase as the system builds capacity. Low lying areas will recover first, with high lying areas recovering later. This recovery is also impacted by demand, so we need to observe water consumption,” Johannesburg Water posted on its social media accounts on December 16.
The repair work at Eikenhof has affected large parts of Greater Johannesburg including Soweto, Randburg/Roodepoort, Commando (Brixton, Crosby and Hrushthil), Lenasia, parts of Johannesburg central including Eagles Nest, Crown Gardens, Aeroton and Alan Manor reservoirs, as per Rand Water.
Johannesburg, nicknamed Jozi, Joburg or JHB, is one of the largest 50 urban agglomerations in the world and the largest city in the world that is not located on a coast, lake or river, according to the World Population Review portal.
The city had an estimated population of 4.4 million in 2016. The Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area has a population estimated at 8 million, unofficially. “If the metropolitan area is defined loosely to include areas like the West Rand and Lenasia, the population is about 10.5 million,” according to the portal.
According to US media outlet NPR, Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda “has mostly denied that there is a water crisis”, blaming the spike in water demand on a heat wave as well as factors beyond the municipality’s control.
Environmental campaigner and activist, Nicole Barlow though has posted on her X account that the authorities were warned about the possibility of such a water crisis happening in Johannesburg.
Anthony Turton, a water expert of international renown, had advocated for an “urgent, well-designed, and informed intervention,” without which the sharp decline in infrastructure development, combined with a loss of human resources, would lead to a “significant crisis” affecting both water availability and quality, Barlow claimed.
However, South Africa’s former leader and Nelson Mandela’s successor Thabo Mbeki, whom Barlow claimed was sensitive to criticism, refused to take Turton’s advice seriously.
“In South Africa, access to water is enshrined as a constitutional right under Section 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees everyone the right to have access to sufficient food and water. Despite this, the South African government has struggled to meet its obligations in ensuring equitable access to clean water for all citizens,” wrote Barlow.
Other media outlets have reported that the crisis has been caused due to population increase, financial constraints, and old infrastructure.