Ekurhuleni water supply stabilising

Spokesman Themba Gadebe said the two areas were the last of 10 to stabilise after the municipality and Rand Water restored water to affected areas.

 

"We will however, continue to monitor the situation closely. At this stage we are grateful for the stability and we wish to express gratitude to our residents, who in the face of frustration, still managed to exercise patience," Gadebe said.

 

"We have been informed by Rand Water that water demand remains critically high, which calls on all of us to use water sparingly."
Gadebe said that people should refrain from all forms of irrigation, washing cars using hose pipes and filling up of swimming pools.

 

Bedfordview and Primrose started receiving water on Saturday.

 

Other affected areas were Benoni, Brakpan, Kempton Park, Parts of Tembisa, Germiston, Daveyton, Etwatwa and Tsakane.

 

On Saturday, chairman of the portfolio committee on water and sanitation, Mlungisi Johnson said there was no water crisis in Gauteng.

 

"There is no water crisis in Gauteng and people must know that they will from now on get water," he said in a statement.

 

He said the portfolio committee also welcomed the establishment of a joint operations committee to ensure that there was a co-ordinated effort to deal with water shortages in the province.

 

Water levels in reservoirs were stabilising, he said.

 

A collaborative effort needed to be made in order to deal with vandalism and the theft of copper, valves and cables, that were integral in supplying water.

 

The portfolio committee visited Rand Water on Friday in order to gain an understanding of and find solutions to the water shortages experienced in Gauteng.

 

Gauteng has been hit by a water shortage -- allegedly due to a theft of electrical cables that are needed for the reservoirs to pump water.

 

The shortage has affected parts of Ekurhuleni, the West Rand, Johannesburg and Tshwane.

 

On Saturday, Rand Water said that water should be restored to all parts of Gauteng within two weeks.

 

However, it added that the meeting of this deadline could be compromised by possible power outages.

 

(File photo: Gallo Images)