Looming Gauteng water crisis: municipalities must shape up – IRR

Gauteng, South Africa’s economic and industrial heartland, will likely be compelled to introduce water rationing if it is to evade the absolute catastrophe that Day Zero would represent for South Africa and its economy.

So says the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) which today releases a report on the ongoing water crisis in South Africa’s most-populated province, and what can be done about it.

The report, Gauteng’s Water Crisis, examines the causes of the imminent water-shedding in Gauteng. It notes that the causes of the breakdown of Gauteng water infrastructure range from dilapidated water distribution systems to meter inaccuracies, which, combined, cost municipalities millions of litres of drinking water and millions of rands in lost revenue.

Says IRR campaign manager, Makone Maja: “Rand Water is already over-abstracting – which means it’s drawing more water from the Vaal Dam than it was initially licensed to by the Department of Water and Sanitation, due to increased water demand. Since 2018 water demand has increased significantly, partly as a result of growth in the province’s population.”

Maja says it is absurd for Rand Water to collect more water only for it to be lost to leaking pipes.

“Gauteng municipalities are culpable. Five of them are losing over 30% of their drinking water to broken infrastructure. The municipalities of Emfuleni, Rand West City and Merafong City are among the worst – accumulating water losses of 49%, 42% and 38% respectively, either to meter breaches and inaccurate meter readings or to leaks in the municipal water distribution network”, Maja says.

Johannesburg Water, the water distributor which purchases bulk water from Rand Water to supply to the City of Johannesburg, disclosed that its current budget only makes provision for repairing 20 of the 42 leaking reservoirs.

Says Maja, “And there you have it. Over-burdened infrastructure that either is simply not growing fast enough to match increased water supply capacity or is being insufficiently maintained to overcome the breakdown leads to water leakages which cause water shortages. This, coupled with poor meter readings and breaches, gives rise to inadequate revenue which the municipality needs to carry out the much-needed maintenance and upgrades.

“It is a vicious cycle where corruption, poor planning and maladministration have once again resulted in the crumbling of infrastructure, causing it to be deficient and reducing its ability to supply water.”

Maja concludes: “Every drop counts. Gauteng residents must pressurise their respective municipalities to act on curbing water losses and repairing the broken infrastructure, as their lives depend on it. The IRR will be working with them to develop legal mechanisms to hold municipal managers, mayors, and municipalities to account.”

Media contacts: Makone Maja, IRR Campaign Manager Tel: 079 418 6676 Email: makone@irr.org.za

Anlu Keeve, IRR researcher Tel: 071 929 9516 Email: anlu@irr.org.za

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za