Johannesburg residents brace for 12-hour water disruption
Johannesburg residents are being urged to prepare for widespread water supply disruptions as bulk supplier Rand Water undertakes the second and final phase of its planned maintenance on Friday.
The maintenance is expected to take place from 7am to 7pm.
This follows the successful completion of the first phase between May and June.
Johannesburg Water warned that the impact of the maintenance will vary across systems, with some areas expected to experience low water pressure or complete water outages during the operation.
The planned work, which includes Eskom maintenance at the Zuikerbosch system, will affect several major water systems supplied by Palmiet, Zwartkopjes and Eikenhof.
Areas likely to be impacted include Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, Roodepoort, Soweto and Lenasia, as well as parts of the Johannesburg CBD such as Yeoville, Berea, Parktown and Aeroton.
Johannesburg Water said reduced pumping capacity during the maintenance period will contribute to the disruptions, with Palmiet operating at 78%, while Zwartkopjes and Eikenhof will run at 50% capacity.
"Residents are reminded that the full recovery of impacted systems does take a couple of days," Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said.
The utility has committed to providing regular updates throughout the maintenance period and advises residents to use water sparingly and store sufficient supply ahead of the shutdown.
