"It is no secret that Gauteng is fast on its way to a full-blown Day Zero crisis. This clear statement was placed in the public domain by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) when it created the Platform for a Water Secure Gauteng (PWSG) in June.
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The cause of the Gauteng water insecurity is multifaceted, but in essence it is driven by the imbalance between demand and supply. The main driver on the demand side of the equation is the general collapse of the water infrastructure in the various municipalities being supplied by Rand Water. As an indicator of this, Johannesburg Water is losing around half of the water supplied to it by Rand Water, while Emfuleni is losing a staggering 72%.
With losses of this magnitude, it is impossible to keep the system pressurised, so irrespective of how much Rand Water supplies, the system remains unstable.
The metaphor of a leaking bucket explains the relationship between Rand Water and municipalities vividly. Think of Rand Water as a hose and most of the Gauteng municipalities as leaking buckets. Irrespective of how much Rand Water pours into leaking buckets, they will never be full. The fact is that most of the water from Rand Water to most Gauteng municipalities is lost through leaks before it reaches communities. We can all blame the hose (Rand Water) and ignore that the buckets (municipalities) are leaking, but are we really addressing the problem or simply perpetuating it?
On the demand side of the equation, the biggest driver is the delay in Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The executive team within DWS, under the leadership of director-general Sean Phillips, has done an excellent job in reviving this project, but due to previous delays, the benefits will not be realised until 2028. This means the supply side of the equation cannot be expanded without disadvantaging existing lawful water users.
Rand Water is unable to pump more because the DWS made it clear that such an action would merely hasten the collapse of the system. The target set by the DWS is a 10% reduction in demand to avert Day Zero for Gauteng.
We, therefore, have the stark reality of a collapse of the water supply network playing out before our eyes. However, if all parties simply cooperate, Gauteng may yet avert Day Zero."
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