by l3rato | Jul 25, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
25 July 2023
Media Advisory
Johannesburg Water to switch from open mode to prepaid smart meters
Johannesburg Water is rolling out new smart meters as the entity is switching from open mode to prepaid smart meters.
The rollout will commence from Monday, 31 July in the following areas: Cosmo City, Orlando East and West, Diepkloof, and Orange Farm. This means that customers will be able to buy water from this day onwards.
The benefit of prepaid smart meters is that customers will be able to pay for their consumption, but those without meters will be billed for availability charges or deemed consumption which in most cases is above their consumption and more expensive. Furthermore, qualifying residents will be able to, and are encouraged to, register for the Expanded Social Package (ESP) at the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Social Development to access benefits.
Currently, the process of pairing the open meters with Customer Interface Units (CIUs) is taking place. Therefore, Johannesburg Water urges customers to grant their teams access to their properties for the process of meter pairing. Customers without meters will be deemed to have refused the meters hence bylaws will be enforced that will result in the disconnection of their water supply.
Following the rollout in the abovementioned areas, the prepaid meters project will be extended to other regions.
Ends
Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
More information can be obtained on:
Twitter: @JHBWater / Facebook: Johannesburg Water
Website: https://www.johannesburgwater.co.za
Customer service inquiries
24-hour Hotline: 011 688 1699/ 086 056 2874
SMS line: 45201
by l3rato | Jul 21, 2023 | Customer Notice 2023
21 July 2023 – 12:45
Customer Notice
Most of Johannesburg Water reservoirs and towers remain stable
Most of Johannesburg Water’s reservoirs and towers are stable on Friday, 21 July 2023. There is slow recovery on specific infrastructure as the entity continues monitoring capacity.
Challenges that continue to impact recovery include load shedding, which disturbs pumping operations. The higher the load shedding stage, the higher the impact.
The status of affected Johannesburg Water infrastructure:
Soweto region
All reservoirs in Soweto have recovered. A burst pipe was located, and teams are in the process of completing repairs. Water is provided to affected communities in high-lying areas of Mofolo North and Mofolo Central through mobile tankers.
Johannesburg Central region
The Brixton reservoir is currently low at 40%, and the outlet is 100% open, while the tower is operating normally.
The Hursthill 1 and 2 reservoirs remain critically low. Overnight recovery at Hursthill 2 is affected by water demand.
The capacity within the Berea reservoir has reduced to 21%, while Parktown 2 reservoir has improved to 25%. Both reservoirs are low, and customers are encouraged to use water sparingly.
*Please note that water in the system fluctuates throughout the day as reservoir and tower levels respond to demand patterns according to peak and off-peak periods. Water demand is at its highest during peak, lowest during off peak, and minimum during night flows).
Ends
Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
by l3rato | Jul 21, 2023 | Customer Notice 2023
21 July 2023 – 22:00
Customer notice
Kaalfontein, Allandale residents affected by burst pipe
Kaalfontein and Allandale residents currently have no water due to a burst pipe in Kaalfontein.
Work on the burst pipe will start on Saturday, 22 July, as some of the necessary equipment has not yet arrived. In the meantime, water tankers will be available until 22:30.
This is after the pipe that was repaired on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, ruptured on Thursday night. The fibre glass pipe is old, and it cracks further during cold weather conditions.
The team is currently organising materials and equipment to replace a longer stretch of the pipeline to avoid further bursts. Adjacent to the burst pipe, there is a sewer pipe; the fittings of the pipe replacement need to be moved about 40 metres from the sewer pipes.
At this stage, there is no estimated time of completion and customers will be updated on the progress as it becomes available.
Sites for water tankers are in the below areas:
1. Roaming tanker for Halfbeak Street (near Toll Gate Shisanyama) and surrounding streets, Kaalfontein Ext. 5 (also caters for Allandale)
2. Kaalfontein Ext. 23, next to David Makhubo Secondary School
3. Roaming tanker along Glassnose and Mudhopper streets, Kaalfontein Ext 1
4. 2x roaming tankers in Swordtail Street, Allandale Ext. 12
5. Kaalfontein next to Grey Koka Primary
6. Kaalfontein next to ZCC Church
7. Roaming tanker in Kaalfontein Ext. 7, behind Boxer Superstore
8. Kaalfontein next to Yarona Shopping Centre (Tigerfish and Archerfish streets). Covers the Allandale area
Further updates will be provided to customers.
by l3rato | Jul 19, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
19 July 2023 – 11:30
Media Statement
Service delivery at Ennerdale Depot impacted by hijacking incidents
Service delivery activities have been disrupted at Johannesburg Water’s Ennerdale Depot.
This is due to depot employees embarking on a sit-in strike after two hijackings of Johannesburg Water vehicles took place over the past week. These incidents occurred while employees were on duty in Ennerdale.
This has resulted in staff members downing tools after they cited safety issues relating to the hijackings experienced. This will compromise service delivery as the depot will not be fully operational. Consequently, logged calls for issues such as burst pipes and leaking water meters will take longer to attend to.
The matter has been escalated to executive management and employees will be addressed accordingly. Counseling services will also be arranged for the affected employees.
Johannesburg Water appeals to communities not to disrupt the entity’s employees when delivering water and sanitation services which are essential.
Ends
Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
by l3rato | Jul 18, 2023 | 2023, Media Statement
18 July 2023 – 12:45
Media Statement
Recovery of Johannesburg Water systems stand at 90% – more progress anticipated
Johannesburg Water’s operations team has confirmed that the entity’s systems are recovering well four days post the planned Rand Water shutdown. This is within the projected recovery period of between five to 14 days.
Considering that this has been the largest shutdown the entity has experienced – where almost 80% of the systems were affected – the progress made thus far is noteworthy. Although not all the systems have fully recovered, specifically the Randburg, Soweto and Johannesburg Central areas, the overall recovery has been good.
Johannesburg Water teams continue prioritising flushing the network to get rid of airlocks in areas that are still struggling with low pressure to no water.
The infrastructure below advises of improving recovery:
Soweto
Overall, the Soweto region has seen a 90% recovery of its systems. The Orlando reservoir levels have recovered and are sitting at 50% this morning, while the Meadowlands, Jabulani, and Braamfischer reservoirs have appreciated over 70%. There are a few areas which are still impacted, however alternative water supply is being provided to affected communities as systems gradually normalise.
Commando system (Brixton, Hursthill and Crosby)
The Crosby reservoir is still in recovery mode, with one pump operating into the Brixton system. The Brixton reservoir is at 50% capacity and the outlet is open at 100%, while the tower is operating normally. The Hursthill system is experiencing slow recovery and currently, levels are critically low; therefore, customers supplied by the Hursthill reservoir zones will experience poor pressure to no water during peak periods.
Johannesburg Central
The Crown Gardens reservoir is stable and is supplying normally, with the outlet opened at 100%. The towers are also stable and operating normally.
Berea reservoir is currently at 10% after the morning peak, but will continue to improve during off-peak hours, especially overnight as most systems recover during that period. Parktown 2 reservoir has also seen improvement from Monday and has a steady capacity of 50%.
The overall recovery of the Yeoville complex is at 65%. Customers in the Yeoville pump station zone may experience poor pressure or no water due to technical challenges at the pump station.
Randburg/Roodepoort
The recovery of the greater Roodepoort area is now over 90%, with most systems fully operational and supplying normally. However, there are some high-lying areas with poor pressure or intermittent supply as some of the systems are recovering.
About 80% of the Randburg systems have recovered, with some areas still experiencing poor pressure to no water. The Linden 1 reservoir and tower remain critically low and customers in this supply zone will continue experiencing low pressure to no water. The Blairgowrie reservoir has improved overnight and is currently at 50%. Alternative water supply is being provided to customers in the affected areas of Linden, Bordeaux and Blairgowrie.
*Please note that water in the system fluctuates throughout the day as reservoir and tower levels respond to demand patterns according to peak and off-peak periods. Water demand is at its highest during peak, lowest during off peak, and minimum during night flows).
Ends
Issued by: Johannesburg Water Communication and Marketing.
