Rand Water’s most recent planned infrastructure maintenance project, scheduled from 13 to 16 December, was aimed at enhancing their system availability, reliability, and efficiency.
The scheduled maintenance work would affect the Zwartkopjes system for 36 hours and the Eikenhof system for 86 hours. Major concerns were raised from various affected municipal customers and stakeholders, specifically related to the Eikenhof system, which supplies two-thirds of the City of Johannesburg. Rand Water was requested to postpone the planned maintenance based on the City of Johannesburg’s municipal water system being under immense and continued strain due to above-average temperatures and/or ongoing heatwaves, below-average rainfall, and water demands outstripping available supply.
The request could unfortunately not be met, with the entity being transparent, providing various reasons. Additionally, Rand Water also provided further justifications for the timing of the planned maintenance, indicating that the selected period is usually a period of lower demand.
The timing thereof would also allow/promote quicker system recovery once maintenance is completed, as most industries would be closed and residents would be traveling outside of Gauteng for holidays. Importantly, Rand Water also provided a 21-day notice period to all affected municipal customers and industries, intended to provide these affected local municipalities adequate time to develop and implement contingency plans and appropriate measures to minimize the possible disruptions to consumers.
A detailed explanation of the planned maintenance on the Eikenhof system was also provided to show the importance thereof and benefits to its customers. The historical design of the three engine rooms at the Eikenhof system being interrelated required correcting due to increasing demand. The planned maintenance therefore focused on making the three engine rooms independent, increasing overall flexibility and availability of the system. The Eikenhof flexibility project was therefore essential, due to increasing demands and environmental pressures, to preserve and maintain the delivery of water services by Rand Water, contributing to overall water security.
Despite the entity providing clear reasons of why a postponement was not possible and the importance of the Ekeinhof Flexibily project, it was unfortunately met with anger, frustration, mistrust, and increasing tensions within the City of Johannesburg even more due to the ongoing water woes within the municipality. While some indicated that consumers should prepare for a dry Christmas as the municipal system would not recover, others called for collaboration and a collective effort to assist in the accelerated recovery of the municipal system.
In spite of the City of Johannesburg being provided with a suitable time period to prepare for the planned maintenance, it was unfortunately found wanting. Within less than 24 hours of the 86-hour planned maintenance, chaos ensued in various affected areas. Numerous consumers started to experience low flow or dry taps—looking for the location of elusive stationary and moving water tankers, based on the communications given by the municipality. The combination of poor and/or vague communication as well as the realization of insufficient alternative water supply led to intensified tensions among affected consumers. The questioning of some responsible individuals’ qualifications, experience, and overall ability, such as the CEO of Rand Water, despite his qualifications being available, further increased the existing trust deficit between consumers and responsible entities.
Additionally, anger and blame directed at Rand Water were also misplaced, as it is the bulk supplier and not responsible for the provision of municipal water services.
The chaos was, however, short-lived due to an immense collective effort primarily between Johannesburg Water and Rand Water. The hard lessons learnt were related to communication, the provision of alternative water supply, and the management of the municipal water system to be able to recover within the shortest time period after maintenance was completed.
Clear communication was key— Joint communication between the two entities, i.e., Johannesburg Water and Rand Water, greatly assisted in providing clarity and addressing misinterpretations for affected residents. Insufficient alternative water supply showed, “Enough is Never Enough.” Upon the realization that the planned alternative water supply was insufficient, Johannesburg Water sought additional water tankers and successfully adapted the management of alternative water supply to the realities faced by affected consumers on the ground. By Johannesburg Water increasing their transparency and addressing their reasoning, i.e., “long-term gains for short-term pains,” they reduced the existing and growing trust deficit and contributed to an increase in residents’ backing of a collective effort.
Rand Water successfully completed the planned maintenance on schedule while updating affected customers of their progress and working closely with affected municipalities to achieve faster recovery of their municipal systems. The hard-working teams at Johannesburg Water and Rand Water collectively enabled the complete recovery of most systems within the shortest period while addressing the ensued chaos and facing escalated pressure and frustration from residents and stakeholders. Some areas were restored within 24 hours while others took a bit longer due to varied factors. The prime importance of municipalities using the notice period of 21 days on preparation and developing of appropriate contingency plans and measures was once again emphasized as the key in addressing major disruptions. The implementation of a collective effort by all involved and affected showed its immense effectiveness and value and should receive some applause as it addressed the chaos and led to restoration within the minimum recovery time.
Professor Anja du Plessis, water management expert and Associate Professor at Unisa. Picture: Supplied
Yes, the chaos that ensued at the beginning of the 86-hour maintenance period showed that municipalities were underprepared, and the silence from some was deafening. However, amid all the chaos, valuable lessons were learnt, and appropriate decisions were made by the hard-working teams of Johannesburg Water and Rand Water, despite the deafening silence. It is therefore not all hopeless and lost in the City of Johannesburg, as there are hard-working individuals within Johannesburg Water and Rand Water, as well as willing experts and civil society, who believe in a collaborative effort and joint venture to address ongoing water woes in the city.
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Thank you to Rand Water and Joburg Water for communication during the shutdown period.
To all stakeholders that assisted in various communities your efforts are appreciated.