JOHANNESBURG - Rand Water’s maintenance programme may be over, but for some Joburg residents, the wait for water continues.
While much of the city’s network has recovered, communities supplied by the Commando, South Hills and Midrand systems are still experiencing supply issues.
Johannesburg Water provided an update on the system’s recovery during a media briefing on Wednesday.
If you’re still waiting for water to return to your taps, Johannesburg Water says you’ll need to be patient for a bit longer. The utility says most of the network has recovered well following Rand Water’s planned maintenance.
But the Commando System, which supplies areas including Coronationville, Westbury, Claremont, Brixton and Crosby, remains one of the slowest systems to recover.
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Logan Munsamy from Johannesburg Water said: "We must also remember that the commando system is one of the most sensitive systems. In order for the system to fully recover, the upstream systems on the supply side need to be fully pressurised. The upstream reservoirs that store water also need to be filled and be fully pressurised.”
Despite residents' frustration, Johannesburg Water believes the maintenance operation has been a success over the last few days.
"We are confident in the way things are going at the moment. We have reconfigured some systems to ensure that those that are impacted recover quicker. If we have no major interruptions on the supply side, we are all good to go to have full recovery by the end of this weekend," Munsamy said.
Officials say water tankers and other contingency measures played an important role in supporting affected communities, as reservoirs recharged and pressure gradually returned across the network.
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But while attention remains focused on the current recovery process, authorities are already planning for the next maintenance intervention.
"The last leg, which is phase two of this particular maintenance exercise, is back at the Suikerbos plant. Eskom has to do phase two of the electrical maintenance work. That is planned for 17 July from 7am to 7pm. That’s a 12-hour window period," Munsamy added.
Johannesburg Water says it expects the system to fully recover by the weekend. Until then, some communities will just have to wait. Officials say contingency plans are in place should there be any delays.
Watch video for full report by eNCA's Nabeelah Shaikh