Johannesburg residents may have to deal with water shedding – an equivalent of Eskom’s load-shedding – as Johannesburg Water struggles to keep up with demand. The Times newspaper wrote that a Johannesburg Water report found that if consumption isn’t minimised, demand will exceed supply by the end of the year.

Eyewitness News went on to report that the mayor of Johannesburg, Parks Tau, has denied the claims made by the The Times. He is quoted saying “We’re managing the situation and that requires interventions not only by the city but by residents as well.”

Water covers 71% of Earth’s surface, so why would we have a water crisis?

• Our water sources are being damaged by a disregard for the environmental consequences of industrial activity. Poor management of informal settlements also leads to the pollution of water sources. Due to the lack of proper sewerage systems, the waste from the settlement ends up in rivers. Think Alexandra and Diepsloot!
• Poor maintenance of municipal water and sewerage systems. The pipes that deliver ‘clean’ water to our cities and towns are old and worn out and this issue is not being properly addressed.
• Poor management of dams reduces the supply and also affects the quality of the water. According to the Minister of Water Affairs, only 160 out of 194 of the dams owned by the department comply with safety standards.
• Non-payment by some residents. That neighbour of yours that refuses to pay their water bill and knocks on your door nge’bucket? They are part of the problem…
• Increasing demand. Too many babies are being born y’all!

Here’s why water-rationing would be horrible for everyone:

• Investor confidence will drop and this may lead to inflation. In simple terms- the cost of living will get really high.
• As if we don’t have enough trouble in the mining sector, mine shafts will close which means Eskom might be forced into more load-shedding. Imagine dealing with water shedding AND power shedding?!
• Growth in the electricity, gas and water industries will drop significantly. This will obviously lead to job losses in these sectors.
• People’s makhwapha’s (underarms) will be stinking for days.

This list is obviously not exhaustive but you get where I am going.

Whether or not the claims are true, we still need to worry about the possibility and minimize water usage. If Eskom has taught us anything, no one likes to be left in the dark, nor do we like to be left high and dry.
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