Cartoon of the day: 4 June 2025
If the water maintenance is complete, where is the water?
While Rand Water has completed the first phase of its large-scale maintenance project, some residents in Gauteng continue to struggle with water supply issues.
Since Thursday, 29 May, the utility has been conducting multiple concurrent maintenance operations to clean and repair its existing infrastructure.
The water utility announced the completion of the B16 project on Monday morning, easing the suffering of thousands of residents who had been experiencing water shortages for several days.
'We're pleased to share that all work on the B16 project is complete, and pumping at Mapleton has officially started,' Rand Water said.
While the project is complete, the water supply was not restored immediately across all affected areas.
Rand Water explained that the distribution system requires time to rebuild pressure and capacity before normal supply can resume.
What affects supply?
It provided no timeline for full restoration but said it may vary significantly based on where you stay.
Low-lying areas are expected to get water supply first, while residents in high-lying areas will likely wait longer before their taps flow normally again.
'Recovery depends on overall demand, so if your supply is back, please use water sparingly to help the system stabilise,' the utility added.
Johannesburg Water previously cautioned that the recovery process could take as long as two weeks.
'After each maintenance has been completed, it will take a maximum of 14 days for the system to fully recover, and for normal water supply to return,' Johannesburg Water stated in earlier communications with residents.
ALSO READ: Rand Water completes maintenance, but municipal failures may leave taps dry
Second phase
The second phase of maintenance started on Tuesday and is set to affect the following areas:
Sandton Systems,
Alexander Park Reservoir,
South Hills Tower,
Randjieslaagte Reservoir,
Linksfield Reservoir, and
Midrand Systems.
The overall maintenance project is expected to continue well into July.
NOW READ: Here's where to find water tankers in your area
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