- Johannesburg residents are contending with water outages.
- Water tankers were dispatched to feed severely affected areas.
- A tanker driver said he was emotional after seeing how the situation was affecting residents.
“What we are seeing is emotional. It is something that shouldn’t have happened.”
These are the words of a water tanker driver operating in parts of Johannesburg, where he delivers water daily amid a crisis in the city.
The driver, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said they helped everyone who needed it.
“People are suffering. Water is scarce. Two hospitals are not spared from the water shortage. We are treated with respect and honour by those we serve. We don’t choose our recipients. We assist everyone who requires water.”
He started his job last month.
“Since I started working here, I have been seeing desperate people. I never thought that a province like Gauteng would have water challenges. This is not something we should be seeing,” he said.
There are more than 20 trucks delivering water to areas supplied by the Hursthill reservoir, which has run dry.
“We usually do between four and six loads of water to the Helen Joseph or Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospitals daily. The demand is increasing by the day, especially for residential use.
“Residents come in large numbers in the afternoon. We can’t pass them waiting on some street corners with their containers. We often drive around, stopping where people had gathered, waiting with their container.”
He said it was not clear if or when taps would start flowing again.
He asked:I can’t wait to see them having their water. Almost all houses in our areas of work use flushing toilets. Those toilets need water to operate. How will they operate without water?
A few streets away from the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, two trucks were seen reversing into Frederic Place Old Age Home in Coronationville.
The trucks did not disturb its elderly residents; yellow pipes were then swiftly connected from the truck to JoJo tanks.
The general manager, Colin van Rayne, said the facility had not been severely affected – until last week.
The facility accommodates 85 elderly citizens, aged between 60 and 92.
“Our facility is situated in the lowest part of Coronationville. We hadn’t had issues until last week. People at the top didn’t have water while we had it. We store about 27 500 litres of water in five JoJo tanks.
“Had it rained, we would have saved rainwater. We buy drinking water. Our main worry is our toilets. We continuously check if they have water and are clean and working properly,” Rayne said.
Unending problem
“I don’t see this problem ending very soon. We pay for our municipal services and are struggling to access those services. The capacity of the Hursthill reservoir is not in line with the population it supplies.
“It is better in winter as many don’t use too much water. You can’t have a stable water supply if you don’t have the capacity (to supply water). Demand is outstripping supply. We are fortunate that two neighbouring mosques often supply us with water.”
Rayne wants to drill a borehole at the facility.
However, his fear is the safety of the people he accommodates.
Joburg Water said the Commando System levels had worsened – from critically low to empty.
The affected areas include Montgomery Park, Westbury, Greymont, Coronationville, Newlands, Northcliff, Newclare, Auckland Park, Albertville, Melville, Richmond, Parkview, Emmarentia and Greenside.
Source : News24 10/18/2022