Numerous water supply systems have been impacted by a bolt of lightning that struck the Eldorado Substation. The station powers water supply to Orlando and Eikenhof. Although power was quickly restored, water supply has been severely affected by the incident.
This comes after severe thunderstorms on Monday night that swept across portions of Johannesburg.
On Tuesday, the mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Kabelo Gwamanda, confirmed the incident. He stated the impacted regions are being monitored. The city’s electricity technical teams were able to successfully restore electricity by midnight, he said.
Various areas affected
The areas affected include the Orlando East Reservoir, Linden 1 Tower, Waterval Tower, Honeydew Reservoir, Honeydew Tower, Brixton Reservoir, Hursthill 1 Reservoir and Hursthill 2 Reservoir.
According to Gwamanda, the impact can be delayed in certain cases. As such, a thorough evaluation was to be conducted after the morning’s high water demand.
“The city urges residents in the affected areas and across the city to use water sparingly to minimise wastage. This while the city assesses the impact of the lightning strike on the system.”
No water crisis, but city ‘has no control over the weather’
During a media briefing last week, Gwamanda said the city doesn’t have a water issue. However, they “have no control of the weather”.
“We are not even close to assuming it’s a crisis. We have access to water but the city of Johannesburg has no control over the weather,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rand Water notified the City of Tshwane later in the week about a potential water crisis.
Tshwane water supply plummets to 30%
The city also urged its residents to use water sparingly as the Rand Water’s total storage has plummeted to below 30%.
“What has transpired in Joburg over the past two weeks has come as a serious concern to Tshwane.
“It is evident that Rand Water systems are under severe pressure. …[Rand Water is] struggling to restore water in Joburg. This indicates that the entire water supply system (which we share) is under strain,” said MMC Themba Fosi. He is the MMC for Tshwane utility services and regional operation and coordination.
