Joburg Water Crisis Committee calls on government to be transparent about water challenges

The Water Crisis Committee in the City of Johannesburg has called on the government to communicate openly on how it plans to deal with the current water crisis, which has hit the city of Johannesburg hard in recent weeks.

 Johannesburg is in a dire situation with a reported shortfall of 200 million litres daily from Rand Water and persistent pipe bursts averaging 4,519 each month.

Rand Water further warned that high consumption and ageing infrastructure are placing the system under severe strain, forcing restrictions across Gauteng.

Ravi Singh, speaking on behalf of the Water Crisis Committee, called on the government to intervene in the worsening crisis in Johannesburg, which has seen communities in Melville, Brixton, Westdene, Parktown, Robertsham and other suburbs battle water challenges this past week.

"The Water Crisis Committee calls on the national government to urgently intervene in Johannesburg's worsening water supply crisis and Randwater and Johannesburg Water must immediately provide comprehensive, honest communication to the people they serve," he stated.

In a recent public meeting with municipal leaders, including Joburg Mayor Dada Morero, Singh acknowledged some marginal improvements, which he said must be commended in light of the latest water challenges.

"We are quite happy that Joburg Water is now sending out teams. Since our public meeting on Wednesday with the minister of water and sanitation, the deputy minister and other leaders, including Joburg Mayor Morero, Randwater, and Joburg Water, there have been improvements. They have kept in their undertaking of engaging us, and we have seen some partial improvements, even though it is still a long way to go," Singh stated.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za