Johannesburg Water warned that full system recovery could take up to two weeks.
After Johannesburg Water completed its maintenance work on the Eikenhof and Zwartkoppies systems, many taps were still running dry in thousands of homes, and the city’s reservoirs were reported to be critically low.
Johannesburg Water has warned that several key reservoirs are under severe strain following widespread infrastructure repairs and ongoing demand.
A major phase of pipe leak repairs at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Plant concluded on Wednesday, but supply remains constrained, and water levels across the Commando System are still recovering.
The utility confirmed on Thursday that while water pumping resumed at 90% capacity and may reach full capacity by the afternoon, full system recovery could take up to two weeks.
Critically low reservoirs
According to a Joburg Water update, reservoirs including Hursthill 1, Crown Gardens Tower, and Yeoville Pump Station are at critically low levels.
“Hursthill 1 is on bypass. Intermittent and unstable water pressure is expected at times.
“Crown Gardens Tower is experiencing low to no water pressure, and Yeoville Pump Station is showing low to no water pressure,” it said.
Crosby and Parktown 2 reservoirs are supplying fairly, but under pressure.
Brixton Tower remains at low pressure with only two pumps operational. Alexander Park is supplying fairly, but is facing high demand.
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Widespread outages across the city
Joburg Water noted the following areas will be without water or face low pressure on Thursday due to ongoing upgrade and maintenance projects:
- Johannesburg CBD,
- Newtown,
- Jeppestwon,
- Doornfontein,
- Newlands,
- Albertville,
- Montgomery Park,
- Albertskroon,
- Wilgespruit,
- Ikemeleng Village,
- Hoeveld Road and Glover Road,
- Whiteridge North,
- Lonehill,
- Sandton.
The outages around the Joburg CBD, Sandton and Lonehill are unplanned.
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Parktown and Dunkeld reservoirs empty
Meanwhile, the Parktown and Dunkeld reservoirs are empty.
The areas affected by this are:
- Westcliff,
- Parkwood,
- Forest Town,
- Birdhaven,
- Saxonwold,
- Dunkeld West,
- Hyde Park,
- Melrose,
- Illovo,
- Parktown North,
- Melrose North,
- Riviera,
- Killarney,
- Parkview,
- Oaklands,
- Greenside,
- Houghton Estate,
- Abbotsford,
- Dunkeld,
- Dunkeld West,
- Craighall Park,
- Craighall,
- Parkhurst,
- Part of Hyde Park,
- Part of Illovo, and
- Rosebank.
Meter maintenance and delayed recovery
Rand Water’s bulk meter replacements at various reservoirs may also affect Johannesburg Water systems.
The utility cautioned that after each maintenance operation, it can take up to three days for the water supply to normalise. However, recovery can take up to 14 days after major shutdowns.
“Residents may experience poor pressure to no water during this period,” Joburg Water said, adding that alternative supply is being arranged at strategic points.
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