Johannesburg Ramps Up Efforts To Fix Water Supply Challenges

The City of Johannesburg is intensifying its efforts to stabilise water supply in areas including Alexandra and Berea, following ongoing shortages linked to strained reservoirs.

Speaking at a media briefing at the Alexandra Reservoir on Monday, Mayor Dada Morero stressed that illegal water connections remain a major hurdle in securing a reliable water supply.

“Legal connections have been a big problem in the city of Johannesburg. And we try from time to time to cut off illegal connections. And I think to a large extent the cut-offs do help us a lot in maintaining the water supply,” Morero said.

The mayor emphasised that enforcement needs to be consistent, as residents often reconnect illegally once cut off.

“So it requires consistency. And in fact it will help us a lot in terms of water demand and it will also help us in terms of our bulk purchases. So there’s a lot that it will help in reducing the current problems that we have on water,” he explained.

Managing Reservoir Levels and Supply Adjustments

Johannesburg Water MD Ntshavheni Mukwevho outlined the city’s approach to stabilising reservoir levels to improve supply, especially to high-lying areas.

“In order for us to be able to reach those levels…we prefer to be slightly higher than that so that we can even be able to supply to those areas that are on high-lying areas. But the challenge is that you find that we’re not able to reach that level on a daily basis as we’re filling the reservoir throughout the night,” Mukwevho said.

To assist the Alexandra Reservoir in filling efficiently, supply in some parts of the city will be temporarily throttled. Mukwevho added that refurbishment of the reservoir is scheduled for completion by the end of November, with residents to be kept informed throughout the process.

“As we get to that point, we’ll be updating the residents around how we are going to be making sure that they still get continuity of supply when the reservoir has been put off service for the work that needs to happen,” he said.

City Urges Water Conservation and Engagement with Residents

Mayor Morero also addressed broader challenges linked to water demand, noting that consumption levels often outstrip supply.

“We are trying our level best to get the reservoir to 50%…if we can reduce on harvesting of water because it also affects the reservoir…we are doing something in addressing the problems that they’re faced with currently,” Morero said.

In addition to refurbishments and enforcement, the city is deploying more water tankers, closely monitoring reservoir levels, and planning long-term infrastructure improvements.

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To improve communication with residents, Johannesburg will host a public meeting on Friday to provide detailed updates and address community concerns.

“We are planning a proper public meeting with the residents of these areas…so that we can give them concrete reports on what we are doing in the area,” Morero confirmed.

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