Rand Water warns of water shortages in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and four municipalities

Rand Water has warned of possible water shortages in the Cities of Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, as well as four local municipalities, following a power outage at its Mapleton Pumping Station in Boksburg.

The disruption began on Monday evening, 2 November, after an electricity outage affected the City of Ekurhuleni’s infrastructure at approximately 8.35pm.

In a statement on Tuesday, Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said the pumping station had been unable to operate since the interruption.

“The station has been unable to pump water since the interruption,” Maroo said.

She said the failure to repair a breaker and restore electricity had placed water supplies to several municipalities at risk.

No electricity restoration time confirmed

According to Rand Water, the utility made repeated enquiries with the City of Ekurhuleni throughout the night but had not received a confirmed restoration time.

“Despite repeated enquiries throughout the night, Rand Water has received no firm commitment from the City of Ekurhuleni on when electricity will be restored.

“Rand Water remains unable to resume pumping and has no control over the restoration of the city’s electricity supply.

“At the time of this statement, the city had not communicated an estimated restoration time,” Maroo said.

Rand Water warned that water shortages were expected in the following areas:

• City of Ekurhuleni
• City of Tshwane
• Lesedi Local Municipality
• Govan Mbeki Local Municipality
• Victor Khanye Local Municipality
• Thembisile Hani Local Municipality

The utility has requested that the City of Ekurhuleni treat the electricity outage as an emergency to restore pumping operations as soon as possible.

Ekurhuleni outage adds pressure amid Tshwane water crisis

The latest disruption comes as Tshwane continues to face pressure over a water contamination crisis linked to 833 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness.

Residents in affected communities have raised concerns about inadequate water tanker deliveries, saying the situation is making everyday life increasingly difficult.

The outbreak has affected areas including Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi.

A joint government statement initially recorded 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness between 7 and 18 October, with most of those affected being children under the age of four.

The number of reported cases has since increased to 833, while three residents remain in hospital.

Tshwane treatment works linked to contamination outbreak

The Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works has been identified as a major contributor to the outbreak after the City of Tshwane failed to chlorinate water before distributing it to residents.

The city also failed to inform residents that the water had not been chlorinated.

Following the incident, the head of the treatment plant was suspended pending an investigation.

The latest Rand Water disruption adds further pressure to communities already dealing with concerns about water safety and supply.

While the pumping station remains without electricity, affected municipalities face the risk of further water shortages. Residents are advised to follow updates from their respective municipalities regarding supply disruptions and restoration efforts.

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Source: iol.co.za