Water shifting to be implemented to address water outages in Gauteng

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has called on Water service authorities to implement water shifting as part of interim plans to address the challenges that have left some communities in Gauteng without water.

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MINISTER SENZO MCHUNU DISCUSSES WATER SHIFTING

This after Mchunu held an engagement yesterday with community members from Johannesburg affected by the water crisis.

Responding to the community members, Mchunu said decisions taken from the meeting should be implemented as soon as possible, SA gov news reports.

“We must not subject people to emotional stress all the time. Hold us accountable because water is a sensitive and emotional subject. We are focused on resolving the problems.”Mchunu

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He said the issues that came from the meeting include accountability, water shifting, poor infrastructure, reservoirs and water conservation.

WHAT WATER SHIFTING REALLY MEANS

Regarding water shifting, Mchunu said Rand Water assured him that they will do load shifting from a line that is not too busy and redirect to Palmiet until the system recovers and is able to supply even high-lying areas.

“We are going to water shift as an interim measure. Technicians will be monitoring the system 24/7 as we shift water from system to system,” Mchunu explained.

The Minister called on Rand Water to have a set timeline for when the extra 150 mega litres will be made available from Station 5A.

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JOHANNESBURG WATER TOLD TO REPLACE OLD PIPES

He said the City of Johannesburg must start the process of replacing old leaking pipes to stop large volumes of water being lost due to leaks.

“Water shifting is not a permanent solution, so we have to do something permanent to address this challenge. I support Joburg Water’s initiative to construct a temporary pump station to assist with the turnaround recovery of water shortages.
“Joburg Water will share implementation plans and time frames regarding the development of the sump at the South Hills tower,” he said.

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The Ministry of Water and Sanitation is currently conducting site visits to various areas in Gauteng that have been affected by water outages.
Today, Wednesday, 27 September, Mchunu visited Tshwane to address water challenges there.

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