<\/p>\n
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has ordered officials to immediately shift water loads towards some of the city’s dry reservoirs in a bid to ensure communities with dry taps have some water.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said shifting the water between reservoirs was one of the immediate measures they could take to address the water problem which has left some communities without running tap water since August.<\/p>\n
Some of these hard hit communities include places in the Joburg South community which have been without water for weeks in some parts.<\/p>\n
Mchunu engaged with members of the public on Tuesday after a community meeting was called in the Joburg south region.<\/p>\n
Angry residents told the minister that they were not having their basic services provided and their grievances were only heard when they took to the streets. Some complained of no water for 14 days, yet they were receiving bills of over R1,000.<\/p>\n
They said communication was non-existent, with some streets not getting water for months on end.<\/p>\n
A resident also told Mchunu that they were taking legal action against the public entities responsible.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said they were not shying away from the crisis and that his office, Joburg Water and the bulk water supplier Rand Water had been talking behind the scenes in a bid to resolve the matter.<\/p>\n
Last week, taps ran dry in parts of Sandton, Midrand and the hard hit Joburg South community after a power failure at a water treatment plant led to significant water losses.<\/p>\n
Joburg Water said reservoirs in Joburg were being affected by the power failure at Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said on Tuesday that five key decisions had been taken during a meeting with stakeholders and the community.<\/p>\n
He said residents had every right to be angry as access to water was their Constitutional right.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have just emerged from an emotionally charged meeting and we accept the agitation and the anger from the members of the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe receive it responsibly because water is very sensitive and emotional subject and we are focused on resolving the problems,\u201d he told news broadcaster eNCA.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said they had continuous robust and cordial meetings with Joburg Water, the City of Johannesburg and and Joburg Municipality and Rand Water.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said they had come out of the meeting with five key outcomes.<\/p>\n
He said they wanted the people of South Hills and other Joburg communities to hold public officials responsible. Water is source of life. Hold us accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to water shift as an interim measure. They are going to be monitoring 24\/7 until we shift water to systems as they fill up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unacceptable to have no water from August. There will be another meeting at 6pm, a technical and political meeting, so that we resolve on this matter. We don’t want to hear people say this community has no water\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mchunu has also called on Rand Water to urgently complete and guarantee the availability of 150 mega litres of water per day from Pump Station 5.<\/p>\n
He also said replacing old damaged pipes would stop large volumes of water leaking into the ground.<\/p>\n
He said this was a function for the City of Johannesburg to fix.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also want Rand Water to guarantee the additional 150 mega litres from Pump Station 5,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said he had heard complaints about decommissioned reservoirs such as Meyers Hill. He also heard about reservoirs which were not performing optimally and which may need to be attended, possibly being rebuilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will make a huge difference and bring an end to problems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mchunu has also expressed support on Joburg Water establishing a temporary pump station in Joburg as an immediate intervention.<\/p>\n
He said they needed to get commitment from the City of Johannesburg about when they would finish their work.<\/p>\n
Mchunu has also appealed to residents to make sure that water was used sparingly and never wasted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us must be accountable. It is time to conserve water, use water sparingly. We need everyone to use water responsibly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mchunu said despite Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda not escalating the matter to him, he felt it prudent to intervene.<\/p>\n
He shared that he had recently met with Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink in Cape Town; where they engaged on the water crisis.<\/p>\n
He said this was an unplanned meeting, but a fruitful one.<\/p>\n
Mchunu said resolving the water issue had to be a collaborative effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad the issue of water not been a Constitutional right and a source of life, I wouldn’t have come here even without the mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur stance is that we must work together with the mayor, during times of problems and even happier times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater cuts across borders, you need to have to be with other people. The Joburg MMC MMC was here, there is no finger pointing and blame shifting, we are going to go ahead and do what needs to be done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a water update earlier on Tuesday, Joburg Water said there was still no supply of water for the South Hills Tower which cater for the Joburg South community.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpty due to no supply. The old pumping station is currently running on bypass mode. Poor pressure to no water is expected in certain parts of the supply zone while the system recovers,\u201d it noted.<\/p>\n
There was improved water supply in Brixton, while the water levels at Hursthill Reservoir 1 were still low, while Hursthill Reservoir 2 had improved overnight.<\/p>\n
At Crown Gardens there was significant improvement, while reservoirs in Midrand were performing poorly.<\/p>\n
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