Johannesburg Water will introduce a number of contingency measures to ensure residents have water during a planned maintenance period next week.

In a statement on Tuesday (18 June), the city said that its chief water supplier, Rand Water, is planning a major shutdown that will impact all of the city’s reservoirs and tower supplies for 54 hours, starting 24 June.

“Johannesburg Water has been in consultation with Rand Water to ensure that the planned maintenance has minimal impact on our residents,” the city said.

“During the maintenance period, the Rand Water purification plant will still be operational and will supply water to our water supply systems for the duration of the valve installation so as to help in efforts to replenish our reservoirs.”

The city said that Rand Water will also supply water via the Palmiet and Eikenhof pump stations to Johannesburg Water reservoirs.

“Furthermore, Rand Water will ensure that prior to the commencement of the shutdown, all reservoirs supplying the City will be filled to capacity to ensure water supply during the shutdown period,” it said.

Capacity and affected areas

The City of Johannesburg said that its reservoirs have the capacity to supply water for up to two days.

“This said, due to the extremely long hours involved in the maintenance process, some of the high lying areas may experience low pressure,” it said.

“The city does not anticipate any unusual water supply disruptions during the shutdown. However, Joburg Water will continuously update residents on the progress of the work via all media platforms.”

It further appealed to all residents to use water sparingly during the shutdown to avoid a complete no-water situation, and reminded all customers that level 1 water restrictions are still in place.

Read: Johannesburg warns of major water shutdown