Three Gauteng hospitals have been struggling with water shortages for days on end. Rahima Moosa Mother and Child, Helen Joseph and Pholosong hospitals were without water for the whole weekend, despite supply being restored in two of the facilities, Pholosong hospital's taps are still dry.
The provincial Department of Health said the supply problem is not completely resolved. Gauteng health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said Helen Joseph hospital is receiving water supply from an alternative line in Brixton whilst the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child and Pholosong hospitals were relying on water tankers to maintain the demand. "You can say that the supply to the three facilities still is a challenge - even though the situation is much better than what it was in the past week," Modiba said. Helen Joseph and surrounding areas started experiencing lower water pressure last week Wednesday because of Dunkeld Reservoir's low water levels. "The facility management is closely monitoring the situation and has put in place measures to divert priority one emergency,critical and priority two urgent but stable patients to other facilities when necessary," he added.
Modiba also said that Rahima Moosa has been having an inconsistent water supply since September 6 due to the Hursthill 1 reservoir being critically affected. Modiba said the supply interruptions are due to challenges experienced by Rand Water and Joburg Water. However, Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo dismissed the claims saying there is no supply problem on their end but pointed to infrastructure failures that result in water leakages.