WATCH: Johannesburg Water hosts roundtable on conservation and sustainability
Executive team outlines key interventions, infrastructure plans, and appeals for public collaboration to address water supply challenges.
Johannesburg Water (JW) managing director Ntshavheni Mukwevho and members of his executive committee hosted a roundtable discussion for media members on December 10.
The discussions focused on the state of water supply in the City of Johannesburg, including infrastructure projects, the entity’s plans for water conservation through its Water Demand Management Programme, budget constraints and fundraising efforts.
The session highlighted the ongoing efforts to address the challenges of illegal connections to the city’s water network, one of the major contributors to water losses and escalating non-revenue water.
Since starting its rigorous disconnection drive, the JW reservoirs saw significant water volume levels, resulting in optimised water distribution overall.
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JW appealed to the media to help by disseminating balanced and factual information and promoting behavioural changes in water conservation.
The city must reduce consumption. Not only in the short term but the long term, too.
Mukwevho detailed long-term interventions like throttling (reducing flow and pressure). The utility will review the interventions when consumption drastically reduces, in line with the bulk supplier’s extraction license.
He touched on the aggressive interventions the entity has in place for the short term.
These include:
• permanently reduced bulk water supply to prepaid and deemed consumption areas on November 11;
• scheduled water supply reductions between 21:00 and 04:00 on November 8. The restriction includes supply to informal settlements.
• will improve burst repair response time from 48 to 24 hours by January.
Mukwevho emphasised the entity’s turnaround strategy, “The strategy marks a pivotal step in enhancing service reliability and securing the long-term sustainability of water services for residents, businesses, and industry.” This strategy directly responds to years of under-investment, deteriorating infrastructure, and weak financial performance.”
While JW is committed to and will continue reducing water losses and increasing water supply dependability, Johannesburg residents, businesses, and industries were encouraged to join the city’s efforts to reduce unsustainably high water use. Collective efforts are required to protect the scarce water resource.
