The FF Plus attributes the ongoing water shortages affecting parts of Johannesburg to the ANC-led Metro Council’s poor planning.
The Metro’s failure to perform routine maintenance on water networks, both above and underground, is a major contributing factor.
Over the last 30 years, the ANC government replaced very few underground waterpipes and a large number of those that burst were merely patched up.
No new water towers were erected despite the past 30 years’ population growth, and it makes no sense that the Metro would think that the existing water storage towers and outdated networks from three decades ago could continue to serve the growing population.
The FF Plus insists that an urgent audit should be conducted on Johannesburg’s water system to determine where additional water towers can be erected as secondary support.
Technology should also be used to develop a modern system to monitor and control the water levels between water towers.
A stable electricity grid is needed to prevent a bottleneck in water distribution.
The power problems at the Eikenhof Pump Station continue, after it was damaged by lightning last week, due to power outages prolonging repairs.
There are also rumours of possible sabotage because one water valve to the water tower serving Linden and Blairgowrie was shut off.
Water could, consequently, not be supplied to consumers in Johannesburg South, certain central parts, Randburg and Roodepoort.
The FF Plus will not stop putting pressure on Rand Water and the Johannesburg Metro to urgently address the water supply problems.
;
