Rand Water has completed its 86 hour maintenance following days of water shutdowns in large parts of Gauteng. The water shortages were caused by maintenance work on the Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes pump stations.

A SIGH OF RELIEF

Affected areas included Soweto, Randburg, Roodepoort, Lenasia and parts of Johannesburg Central. However, the water utility has warned residents, especially those in high-lying areas, that systems may take between five and 14 days to fully recover. "Complete recovery of all impacted systems takes between five and 14 days after the supply has been fully restored. Residents in low-lying areas will always recover quicker than those in high-lying areas. Johannesburg Water technical teams will also ensure to reconfigure systems to ensure supply is fully restored. Updates will be provided on the progress of the Rand Water maintenance," said Rand Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala.

RIDICULOUS

The Democratic Alliance's Johannesburg shadow MMC for Infrastructure Nicole van Dyke dismissed Rand Water's plan as ridiculous and accused the utility of poor planning and mismanagement. "This maintenance is an indication of poor planning and utter mismanagement. In the past, similar maintenance has taken up to two weeks to recover, even with additional water being supplied to stabilise the system," Van Dyk said.

She added: "Two weeks without water during the warmest month of the year, while families are trying to spend quality time together, is unacceptable-especially when taps run dry. If the system requires emergency repairs, then Rand Water must be condemned for its failure to manage the infrastructure properly throughout the year."