Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero delivered a warning on Wednesday while providing an update on emergency water interventions at the New Brixton Reservoir, urging residents across affected communities to reduce their consumption of water.
He said this while insisting that Johannesburg is not facing a “Day Zero” scenario.
Morero made it clear that the system remained under severe strain and required immediate cooperation from the public.
Key areas heavily impacted include Melville, Westdene, Parktown West, Emmarentia, Brixton, Vrededorp, Mayfair, Greenside, and Parkview.
“Residents should not be watering their gardens during the day, at least after six in the evening,” he said.
“At this stage, when we are trying to manage the distribution of water, it is very important that you do not water your gardens and you do not use clean water for the washing of vehicles.”
He also called on carwash businesses to recycle water to ease pressure on the system.
Deteriorating infrastructure
The mayor revealed that ageing and deteriorating infrastructure, particularly in the inner city, is a major contributor to the crisis.
According to Morero, repairing water pipe infrastructure in the Johannesburg CBD alone will require between R3-billion and R4-billion.
“Just focusing on the CBD of Johannesburg, that is the money we continue to budget and raise,” he said.
Morero added that broader upgrades to water systems, electricity networks, and road infrastructure will push the city’s capital expenditure from R8-billion to R10-billion.
Despite mounting frustrations from residents who have endured dry taps, Morero assured the public that those billed for water they did not receive would be reimbursed.
“They need to present themselves so that we can do the necessary adjustments on their accounts,” he said.
“It is not fair to be billed for something that you have not consumed, because we still need our residents to continue paying their bills.”
He said additional and larger reservoirs are being built as part of long-term measures to stabilise supply.
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