Gauteng water storage ‘could soon be depleted’ — Rand Water warns the crisis has arrived

Councillors in the City of Johannesburg said on Sunday that they feared for the week ahead as the metro battled a heatwave coupled with failing infrastructure, leading to depleted resources.

The latest data from 11 October shows that Johannesburg is way above consumption targets, with Tshwane and Ekurhuleni climbing too. 

Daily Maverick reported that Johannesburg’s water supply skirted Day Zero for a fourth time last week, and councillors warned on Sunday, October 13, that they feared for the week ahead because of heatwave conditions.

Read more: Water crisis — Johannesburg skirts Day Zero for fourth time in a year

Read more: ‘It’s going be a tough summer,’ warns expert after more water cuts in Joburg

“Water storage levels throughout Gauteng province have significantly declined due to excessive water withdrawals by municipalities, raising serious concerns. Rand Water has repeatedly warned municipalities in Gauteng about this potential crisis. Unfortunately, the crisis we have sought to prevent has now materialised. The water supply systems in Gauteng, including Rand Water reservoirs, are critically low, and the situation is anticipated to worsen with the ongoing heatwave,” Rand Water said. 

A data investigation by Daily Maverick has shown how the water crisis has deepened in the past two months and the first nine days of October. DM

Source: Own research of Johannesburg Water reported outages and consumer information / ChatGPT for charting.