Governments’ 38-day Rand Water maintenance is having a ripple effect on farmers and communities in some parts of Gauteng, as the water entity aims to perform pipe upgrades to improve water supply. While the efforts by the water board have been welcomed, farmers have cited a lack of consultations and concerns about the timing of the planned maintenance.
Mothushi Nkoko, a crop farmer from Innesfree Park in Sandton, Gauteng, said that he only received notification about the maintenance recently and did not realize it would last so long.
“I have not made provisions as yet, though I do have some tanks at the farm, only one of them has water. We have been struggling with water already in recent times and it has been almost impossible to fill up the other tanks,” he said.
Nkoko said they were hoping that the upgrade would bring lasting solutions to their water crisis as it affects their operations and has the potential to chase away their hard-earned markets.
According to Nkoko, the scheduled upgrades were too long, lasting over a month, adding that there were no guarantees of water during this time. According to Rand Water, the upgrades are scheduled to take place from 24 June to 29 July. However, Nkoko said this is adding pressure to their already unstable water supply in the area.
A farmer in the West Rand area of Gauteng, Viwe Monono, said the area of Zuurbekom in the Rand West local municipality has been struggling with water for the past 19 years with no solution-driven mechanism brought forward, which has impacted farmers who had to close shop over the years.
“What is really sad is that the area has underground water that has not been used to better the lives of the people. Water is life and without water no farmer will be able to do anything.
“In recent months as farmers in the area, we have tasked the municipality and the mines that we need to come up with innovative ways of solving the water crisis, water tankers cannot be the solution for residents and farmers. One of the initiatives we came up with was there needed to be central boreholes which will service farmers in our vicinity,” he said.
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The plan we have
Monono said the initiative they came up with, which has been presented to different stakeholders to aid the water challenges in the area, was called the One-Hectare-Plan.
“At the heart of our water management strategy lies the Water Station, a centralized facility equipped with reservoirs. This station acts as a hub for water distribution, ensuring equitable access to water resources for every plot.
“By consolidating our water supply, we enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and promote a collective approach to sustainable water management,” he said.
In a statement, Rand Water said part of their ongoing maintenance is to look at the efficiency of existing infrastructure and ensure that it meets the current demand, not the demand it was planned for.
“One such project is connecting the existing reservoirs at their Waterval depot to accommodate demand increases. The Waterval depot has two reservoirs that supply bulk water to Johannesburg Water.
“Inter-connectedness is a feature common among many water systems that fall under Randwater and Johannesburg Water,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Water and Sanitation director general, Dr Sean Phillips, has called on affected parties in Gauteng to gather around the table and come up with solutions.
Environmental adviser Dr Anthony Turton said it was important for farmers and ordinary members of society to bear with the upgrades as without maintenance systems ultimately fail.
“The fact of the matter is that many municipalities and metros have been unable to spend their infrastructure grants because of a lack of human capacity to design and plan system expansion.
“However, there has been gross underspending on maintenance for decades, which is why the systems have failed. It’s not the shortage of money that caused the problem,” he said.
Govt calls for collaboration
“It is important for all spheres of government, including the private sector, to work collaboratively instead of appearing to be squabbling in the public space over work that should be done to avert taps from running dry in the country’s economic hub,” he said.
He also outlined work being carried out by the Department of Water and Sanitation, including the implementation of Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which is set for completion in 2028 and aimed at improving water provision in Gauteng.
“We anticipate that Phase 2 of the project will be completed in 2028. The projected timeline for completion of Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project means the first delivery of water by the set date.
“The bulk of the work that also needs to happen is behavioural change in society. We have seen how this has worked in Cape Town and we plan to do the same in Gauteng.
“The awareness campaign must help drive the message home that not only is South Africa a water-scarce country, but that Gauteng is a dry province, and we all need to pull our weight to bring about positive change,” he said.
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