Water crisis unfolds as Johannesburg residents head to the polls - IOL

Voters in Johannesburg face a water crisis that has persisted for some time, which is a major worry as they go about their local elections.

As voters in the Johannesburg local government elections cast their ballots, water scarcity continues to be a top issue for many neighbourhoods.

Water throttling has been a consistent problem for Lenasia South residents, who have been fighting it nite after nite until the normal supply was restored before dawn the following day.

Water scarcity is still high on voters' lists of concerns as Wednesday's local government elections progress.

The city is taking measures to restore supply while this is happening. The systems of Johannesburg Water have reportedly recovered to a level of more than 41%.

The crisis has several root causes, including infrastructure that is getting old in years, inadequate maintenance, and a lack of accountability, according to a report by the South African Human Rights Commission.

Residents in Northriding and Westbury are enduring long periods of water loss and throttling, despite Mayor Dada Morero's assurances that the service will be fully restored in a matter of days.

A 41% improvement in system recovery has been reported by Johannesburg Water.

The rapid depletion of reservoirs and the overrun of allocations by municipal systems have prompted bulk supplier Rand Water to cut supply and impose restrictions (by about 30%), according to IOL.

Helen Zille, a candidate for mayor of Johannesburg on the Democratic Alliance (DA) ticket, has declared that fixing the city's water problem will be her top priority once the DA takes over the city council in Wednesday's elections.

Water shortages affecting several suburbs had become a major concern, said Zille, who voted at Emmarentia Primary School.

There were water supply problems in about 50 suburbs over the weekend, she said. "And that is a major crisis for a city the size of Joburg," she added.

As residents voice concerns about low water pressure, leaking pipes, inadequate communication, and a supply that exceeds the city's Rand Water allocation, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero apologises.