The infrastructure failure at the Palmiet Pump Station

by Teboho | Jul 5, 2021 | archive, Media Statement

Media statement

05 July 2021

The explosion at Rand Water’s Palmiet Booster Pumping Station has immensely affected Johannesburg Water’s supply to numerous areas across the City. Palmiet currently can only pump at below capacity due to pump trips impacting the South Hills tower and The Greater Midrand Reservoirs are also running low and areas such as Greater Ivory Park already do not have water.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown and a root cause analysis is currently being investigated, the repairs to the damaged infrastructure is currently being done on an emergency basis.

Rand Water is currently working around the clock to conduct repairs and restore supply and currently not able give an estimated period for the repairs. Water tankers will be provided in the interim, a comprehensive list of the position of the tankers can be found on our social pages and website.

We do anticipate that more areas could be affected and communication will be updated throughout the course of the day.

Affected areas:

All Midrand Suburbs

South Hills Tower:

Linmeyer
South Hills
Risana
Oakdene
Tulisa Park
Rosettenvile
Klipriviersberg

Tanks in the Midrand region:

Ivory park
• Kopanong Shopping Centre, along Riverside road
• Ivory park 2 Taxi rank, along 21 September.

Ebony park/kaalfontein
• Yarona shopping centre, along angelfish.

Mayibuye
• Behind Mayibuye clinic, along Theresa rd.

Rabie Ridge/Kanana
• BP Garage, Ruitekker road

Klipfontein View
• Klipfontein View Taxi rank, along Nancy ndamase

Vorna Valley/Halfway
• BP Garage, le roux and bekker

Noordwyk/blue hills/country view
• Blue hills shopping centre, along summit road.

Water Tank Points in Linmeyer and Southhills:
• Corner of Risi Avenue and Johan Meyer Street
• Corner of Michael street and East Street
• Elizabeth Street Park
• Corner of Adelaide Avenue and Aida Street
• Corner of Diedricks avenue and Prince Albert Street (or in Prince Albert Street Park)

For media enquiries please contact Nondumiso Mabuza 060 555 3156.

ENDS

Crown Gardens

by Teboho | Jul 1, 2021 | archive, Media Statement

Media Statement: no embargo
01 July 2021
Crown Gardens

Johannesburg Water discovered that the Crown Gardens Reservoir was contaminated as the reservoir was being refilled after the completion of the scheduled maintenance work done yesterday.

The team has emptied the reservoir and residents can be assured that the water from the reservoir did not at any point reach the network to get to their taps.

The entity has mobilised a service provider to start with the emergency cleaning process of the reservoir that we estimate should be completed within the next 48 hours. Water being filled into the reservoir after the cleaning process will be tested to ensure that it is safe to drink before it is put in the system.

Water tankers will be distributed to the affected areas in the interim as a form of alternative water supply.

We do apologise to all residents affected for the inconvenience caused. The safety and quality of water we provide is a priority to us .

Areas affected:
Parts of Crown Gardens, Robertsham, Winchester Hills , Turffontein, Ormonde and Ridgeway

ENDS
Issued by Johannesburg Water
Stakeholder Relations and Communications Department

Hursthill Water Supply Challenges

by Teboho | Jun 9, 2021 | archive, Media Statement

Download Media Statement – Joint_Media_StatementJoint_9_June_2021

Hursthill Water Supply Challenges

Pursuant to the reported interventions by both Rand Water and Johannesburg Water to mitigate water supply challenges in Hurst Hill and surrounding areas, the Hurst Hill Reservoir is regrettably still running low.

Rand Water’s Eikenhof Pumping Station was shut down for two hours on Saturday, 5 June 2021 to enable City Power to fix an electrical fault on the power line, a setback that negatively impacted recovery. The water supply system recovers slowly during the day due to high water demand, with no further interruptions the trend indicates that the system recovery will be much better towards the end of this week.

Johannesburg Water has since worked on cross feeding Helen Joseph Hospital through the Brixton Tower and continues to monitor water levels to ensure adequate supply. The hospital will be switched back to the Hurst Hill Reservoir once water levels improve.

At Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Johannesburg Water is pumping water directly to their header reservoirs and Rand Water provided additional water tankers currently deployed at the hospital. The hospital will by end of June be connected directly to the neighbouring Crosby Reservoir supply area to enable consistent water supply.

Both entities are committed to finding a permanent solution to the Hurst Hill Reservoir water supply challenges. Provision of roaming water tankers to affected surrounding areas continues.

Joint statement issued by: Sipho Mosai, Chief Executive: Rand Water and Ntshavheni Mukwevho, Managing Director: Johannesburg Water.
For further enquiries contact: Justice Mohale on 083 417 6999/ jmohale@randwater.co.za and/or Nondumiso Mabuza on 060 555 3156/ nondumiso.mabuza@jwater.co.za
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JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT Hursthill Water supply challenges

by Teboho | Jun 2, 2021 | archive, Media Statement

Hursthill Water Supply Challenges

On the 18th of May 2021, Rand Water undertook a pre-isolation shutdown at Eikenhof Pumping Station to prepare for the replacement of the G34/Q2 isolation valve. During this pre-isolation shutdown, a power failure was experienced at the Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant which affected supply to the Hursthill system.

The Hursthill system has following the shutdown and restoration battled to recover to acceptable reservoir levels. The system supplies high lying areas that have historically been vulnerable to fluctuating bulk water supply during high demand seasons. Over the past years, the bulk supply system has been under severe pressure due to the increased water demand.

Rand Water had, from time to time, made operational adjustments to divert water from other areas as a short-term measure to help sustain the Hursthill system after bulk supply interruption; however, this has yielded no significant results of late.

In the past weeks, both Rand Water and Johannesburg Water’s technical teams have been on the ground investigating with a view of finding other options to optimise the integrated supply systems. This joint effort resulted in adjustments being made to the distribution system but unfortunately, before any gains could be realised, the Eikenhof pump station experienced power failures which further affected the system. Electricity supply has since been restored.

Both entities are currently looking at short to medium term interventions in order to address the current challenges. It must be noted that Rand Water and Johannesburg Water have already formulated long-term solutions to this issue. Whilst Rand Water is finalising the construction of Station 5A, Johannesburg Water is finalising the designs of their booster station to the Hursthill Reservoir. Once these projects are completed, there will be enough supply to the high lying areas of Hursthill.

The entities remain committed to resolving these challenges. It is in this context that both institutions are currently supplying water using water tankers to the most affected, especially health facilities in the area – Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph Hospitals.

Joint statement issued by:

Sipho Mosai, Chief Executive: Rand Water and Ntshavheni Mukwevho, Managing Director: Johannesburg Water

Enquiries:
Mr Justice Mohale, Media Relations Manager – 083 417 6999
Ms Nondumiso Mabuza, Stakeholder Relations and Communication – Executive Manager, 060 555 3156

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