Cape Town – The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has unveiled its plan to tackle the persistent water supply challenges faced by residents of Johannesburg.
Included in the plan are interventions to address the City’s non-revenue water – water that is pumped but then lost to the system before it even gets to the customer –which currently stands at a staggering 46.1% in the metro, with a consumption rate of 280 litres per person per day, reports Engineering News.
The City is proposing water conservation and demand management measures such as repairing leaks, replacing old pipes and enforcing by-laws to reduce non-revenue water.
It emphasises the need for a comprehensive public awareness campaign about water conservation, alongside technical interventions to bolster storage capacity and optimise water distribution networks.
The wider plan includes immediate, medium and long-term measures aimed at ensuring the sustainability of water supply within the metro, such as refurbishing, upgrading and constructing new storage reservoirs and pump stations.
Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda welcomed support from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and revealed plans to allocate R100 million to City Power for alternative power supply infrastructure, aiming to mitigate water supply interruptions caused by power outages.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu said the CoJ would have to fund short-term measures from the current and upcoming budgets, but it was possible that DWS would approach the private sector to make up the shortfall.
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Compiled by Samantha Mochele
