An individual took to social media to share that blue water was coming out of her tap in the City of Johannesburg. Image: Twitter.
Is Johannesburg water safe to drink? – Here’s what we know
Newly elected City of Johannesburg Mayor, Thapelo Amad has weighed in on claims that blue water is coming out of taps in the City.
An individual took to social media to share that blue water was coming out of her tap in the City of Johannesburg. Image: Twitter.
City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Thapelo Amad, has reassured residents that water is safe for consumption.
This comes after a video was circulated on social media that a resident noticed blue water when opening the tap earlier this week.
JOHANNESBURG WATER SAFE TO DRINK
The newly elected Mayor said following the reports, Joburg Water launched an investigation to establish the source of this problem and took a sample on 1 February 2023 at Sontonga Lofts in Braamfontein.
Amad said the water was clear and not blue at the time of taking the samples.
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“The complainant later confirmed on social media that the blue water was only at their unit, which was caused by an internal plumbing issue. A private plumber resolved the internal issues. Johannesburg Water is in the process of contacting the customer, as well as the plumber, to understand what the issue was that caused the incident,” Amad said.
LATEST ON THE CITY’S WATER WOES
Water supply challengesAmad said the City of Johannesburg has been experiencing water supply challenges since the beginning of the year, when Rand Water’s total reservoir storage level on 8 January 2023 was at 76%.
The reservoir storage level started significantly declining from 9 January 2023, and the situation was exacerbated by power supply failures that affected the Zuikerbosch purification plant and Eikenhof pump station on 13 January 2023.
The Mayor said this significantly affected the Crosby, Brixton, and Hurst Hill Reservoir 1 and 2 supply zones, which cover wards 58, 69, 86, and 87 in the City of Johannesburg.
Amad announced that the City, through Joburg Water, has invested just over R400 million, which will be used over the next 18 months to build and upgrade bulk water infrastructure, especially along the Commando system (Crosby and Brixton), which is always the hardest hit by water shortages.
Several suburbs have had little to no water due to rolling blackouts and reduced supply.
