Johannesburg residents are being warned to prepare for a difficult week ahead, with some households expected to face up to seven days of low water pressure or complete outages as the city undertakes critical bulk water infrastructure maintenance.
The disruption follows the final phase of planned maintenance by Rand Water at the Eikenhof Pump Station, a key facility supplying large parts of the City of Johannesburg. The 54-hour operation is scheduled to run from 4am on Tuesday, January 6, until 8am on Thursday, January 8.
Mayor Dada Morero said while the impact on residents would be significant, the work was unavoidable and essential for the city’s long-term water security.
“This is critical maintenance on infrastructure that supports Johannesburg’s water supply system,” Morero said. “While we understand the inconvenience this will cause, these upgrades are necessary to improve reliability and sustainability going forward.”
Areas at risk of outages
During the maintenance period, the volume of water supplied into Johannesburg Water’s network will be significantly reduced. Reservoirs expected to be affected include Roodepoort Deep, Fleurhof, Doornkop, Meadowlands 1 and 2, and Braamfischer.
As a result, several communities across the metro may experience intermittent supply, low pressure, or dry taps.
Morero cautioned residents not to expect an immediate return to normal water supply once pumping resumes.
“The system does not recover instantly,” he said. “Our infrastructure requires at least seven days to stabilise after the maintenance. Residents may continue to experience low pressure or outages during this recovery period.”
Contingency plans activated
The city, working with Johannesburg Water, has activated contingency measures to reduce the impact on residents. These include managing reservoir levels ahead of the shutdown, deploying technical response teams, and providing alternative water supplies through stationary and roaming water tankers where necessary.
“We have put extensive operational plans in place to support affected communities,” Morero said. “Water tankers will be deployed where the need is greatest, and communication with residents remains a top priority.”
Residents are urged to use water sparingly, store water ahead of time where possible, and stay informed through official city communication channels.
Contamination incident update
The maintenance update comes as the city continues to manage the aftermath of a recent cross-contamination incident in Bezuidenhout Valley, where a burst steel water pipe near a sewer manhole allowed sewage to enter a damaged water line late last month.
Morero said the city acted swiftly after residents reported a sewage smell in their water.
“As a precaution, residents were advised not to use the water, water meters were removed, and tankers were deployed immediately,” he said. “Repairs were completed, the system was flushed, and multiple rounds of laboratory testing were conducted.”
Initial test results showed non-compliance across all sampling points. However, subsequent testing has confirmed steady improvement.
“The affected area has now been narrowed down, and only two of the seven sampling points remain below the minimum SANS 241 drinking water standards,” Morero said.
Johannesburg Water acting senior manager Gugulethu Quma added that further flushing and bulk dosing are underway as an added precaution, noting that different reservoirs recover at different rates depending on demand.
As Johannesburg enters what the city describes as a “testing” seven-day recovery period, Morero appealed to residents for patience.
“This temporary discomfort is about safeguarding the city’s water future,” he said. “We ask residents to work with us as we strengthen infrastructure that Johannesburg depends on every day.”