Johannesburg - Gauteng residents and hospitals are experiencing a water crisis as entities, Rand Water and Johannesburg Water, say they are working to resolve shortages.
Several areas in Gauteng currently have water shortages which are engulfing areas in Joburg. In particular, Fairland, Northcliff, Hursthill, Crosby, Coronationville, Montclare, Sophiatown and Brixton have been affected.
Brixton resident and university student Khanyisa Milisi, who has had water shortages for about five days, told The Star the lack of water has been exceptionally inconvenient as a student and a woman.
“As a student in my final year that’s doing a technical subject such as TV production, I have to go onto campus almost everyday. Also as a female, there are other things I need water for …” she said.
The water shortages have also affected health-care facilities such as the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Coronationville and Helen Joseph Hospital in Auckland Park. The Gauteng Department of Health was forced to bring in water tankers to ensure patients have access to water.
Gift of the Givers also responded to the plight of patients and staff at the Rahima Moosa by availing its drilling team for boreholes. The non-governmental organisation started the drilling process on Wednesday morning.
Rand Water and Johannesburg Water in a statement on Wednesday explained the events that led to the crisis. They said that on May 18, Rand Water undertook a pre-isolation shutdown at the Eikenhof Pumping Station to prepare for the replacement of an isolation valve. During the shutdown, a power failure occurred at the Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant which affected supply to the Hursthill system.
“The Hursthill system has, following the shutdown and restoration, been battling to recover to acceptable reservoir levels. The system supplies high-lying areas that have historically been vulnerable to fluctuating bulk water supply during high-demand seasons,” they said.
The utilities said that their technical teams were on the ground investigating other options to optimise the integrated supply system, however, power failures at the Eikenhof substation last week further affected the system.
“Both entities are currently looking at short- to medium-term interventions in order to address the current challenges. It must be noted that Rand Water and Johannesburg Water have already formulated long-term solutions to this issue,” they said.
The entities added they remain committed to resolving the water challenges.
Gauteng Health Department’s acting deputy director general for hospital services, Dr Freddy Kgongwana, speaking on SAfm on Wednesday morning, explained how the water challenges at the various facilities impact on service provision and discussed the measures put in place to alleviate the pressure.
“We’ve been having tankers and individual groups like Gift of the Givers and individuals in hospitals who have come forward to help. At the moment, we are in a better space than we were last week and anticipate that as the reservoirs completely fill up, we will be back to normal,” Kgongwana said.
He emphasised that the supply of water to public healthcare facilities has been restored, however not fully and the department does not know how long it will take for the reservoirs to fill up.
The water crisis experienced at the Gauteng health-care facilities comes at a time when the province grapples with a third wave of Covid-19 infections where water is essential. The country is also undergoing Stage 2 load shedding.
At the same time, patients at Gauteng and North West hospitals continue to suffer from overcrowding, lack of medication, poor treatment by hospital staff and security issues.
The Star