Water outages that force residents to collect water from tankers has become a thorny issue, with political parties calling for accountability and action. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Gauteng Province is experiencing a peak in water scarcity due to significant declines in water storage levels, largely attributed to excessive municipal withdrawals and leaks.
This issue has raised serious concerns affecting not only Gauteng, but also areas outside the province.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation invited Rand Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation on Tuesday to account for their efforts in addressing the ongoing water challenges in Gauteng, ensuring transparency and oversight of their interventions.
The DA in Gauteng welcomed this decision, emphasising the importance of holding Rand Water accountable for the ongoing water crisis in the Rand Water supply area.
They highlighted that this crisis has left millions of South Africans at risk, with many households in critical areas such as Brixton in Johannesburg and Govan Mbeki in Mpumalanga suffering from inconsistent and inadequate water supply for weeks.
The DA noted that “Rand Water’s Wildebeest Reservoir, which services Govan Mbeki, has been unable to maintain sufficient levels to ensure uninterrupted water distribution, leaving parts of Mpumalanga without water completely or partially. The question remains: How many other areas will follow if immediate action is not taken?”
Furthermore, the DA demanded full transparency from Rand Water regarding the current state of its infrastructure, including the functionality of reservoirs, pump stations, and water treatment works, all of which are critical for managing and distributing the bulk water supply across the province.
“Rand Water must provide information on the functionality of these key systems, especially as demand continues to grow due to increasing leaks in municipalities and a growing population in Gauteng,” they explained.
Additionally, the DA criticised Rand Water for resisting consistent oversight of their facilities, which has hindered public representatives' ability to perform effective checks and balances.
They emphasised that this lack of cooperation must come to an end and expressed their intention to seek permission for regular oversight visits.
The goal of these visits would be to ensure that reservoirs and pump stations are well-maintained and that necessary capacity-building measures are implemented.
To ensure accountability and proper maintenance of water infrastructure, the DA reiterated the need for regular oversight of Rand Water's facilities, stating, “for too long, Rand Water has resisted consistent oversight of their facilities, hindering public representatives’ ability to provide effective checks and balances.”
Rand Water has warned that water storage levels in Gauteng Province had significantly declined due to excessive withdrawals by municipalities.
They urged immediate action to implement conservation measures and address leaks while emphasising that they could not pump additional water due to capacity limits and were not responsible for distribution issues within municipalities.
In a related call to action, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) urged Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosi Hlabisa, to present an immediate plan to prevent the looming water crisis in Gauteng municipalities.
Rand Water has issued warnings of critically low water storage levels due to excessive municipal withdrawals and mismanagement.
The EFF highlighted that mounting municipal debt to water boards, exacerbated by non-payment from large corporations and the mining industry, is a major cause of the crisis.
They criticised Minister Hlabisa for failing to address these issues, despite the growing risk, which they believe demonstrates a lack of leadership.
The EFF demands that Minister Hlabisa take urgent action to stabilise municipal finances, enforce debt payment from corporations, and prevent water shortages that threaten the people of Gauteng.
Nozipho Dlamini, a communicator in the Gauteng Office of the Premier, emphasised the urgent need for a collaborative approach to tackle the crisis, pointing to issues like ageing infrastructure and excessive water losses.
“Demand for treated water is exceeding supply,” she said, introducing a new water dashboard to provide real-time information on shortages.
The provincial government has implemented Level 1 water restrictions until March 2025 to conserve water.
Dlamini stated, “Gauteng loses over 40% of clean water due to illegal connections and leakages. Urgent upgrades to water infrastructure are essential to prevent further deterioration of the situation.”
Riskonet Africa warns that the crisis will worsen without immediate action, according to its principal of Strategic Risk, Volker Von Widdern.
“Organisations often underestimate the severity of water shortages on their daily operations and supply chains,” he said, adding the urgent need for businesses to reassess risk exposures and mitigation plans.
He recommended creating water reservoirs and exploring rainwater harvesting as proactive measures. “Current risk management and insurance models won’t suffice in addressing this growing crisis,” he added.
IOL
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