Is Johannesburg Running Out of Water? Residents in Multiple Areas Left Without Water or Low Pressure

In the past week, residents in several areas of Johannesburg have been dealing with water interruptions or low water pressure, as reported by Fourways Review. The issue stemmed from a burst pipe on the corner of Witkoppen Road and William Nicol Drive, which affected several areas, including Bryanston, Douglasdale, Magaliessig, Fourways, Lonehill, Pineslopes, and more.

Joburg Water, the utility provider, informed residents of the situation through social media. Still, the updates should have included good news about the repairs. Instead, however, water tanks were placed in various areas, such as Tezula Lifestyle Estate, Fourways Life Hospital, Olivendale Hospital, and Pineslopes Shopping Centre, to provide temporary water while Joburg Water addressed the issue.

According to Joburg Water, the repair job was significant. It involved installing an isolation valve, removing a concrete slab, and excavating to repair a 250mm high-density polyethene pipe. Fourways Review reached out to Joburg Water’s external communication officer, Nolwazi Dhlamini, on March 23 to get more information about the damages’ extent and the estimated repair time. Dhlamini confirmed receipt of the query and said she would escalate it. She also stated that receiving a response would take 48 hours or more.

On March 25, Joburg Water released a statement on social media, indicating that they had restored water to several areas, including Fourways, Lonehill, Pineslopes, Witkoppen, Craigavon, and Beverley. However, the repair team faced some challenges due to two bursts on the asbestos cement main, which required the isolation of the water supply.

As of March 27, Dhlamini had yet to receive further feedback from the engineers working on the repairs. The affected areas included Kengies, Dainfern, Magaliessig View, Fourways Garden, Paulshof, Norscot, and others.

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Picture: Twitter / JHBWater