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Running dry: Johannesburg's almost two-week water outage probably will not be the last
It is easier to be without electricity than water. You can use gas to cook and light candles if you do not have the luxury of solar or inverters.
Not having water is a different story.
We use it for just about every aspect of our lives. We use it to cook, clean, bathe, and do our laundry and our dishes.
We can have boreholes and JoJo tanks, but that is not a fail-safe and is not always an option for everyone.
Over the last two weeks, Johannesburg residents were left angry and frustrated when a series of power outages at the Eikenhof pump station left them waterless during a heatwave.
Water tankers were few and far between and promises each day from Rand Water and Johannesburg Water came to nought for days on end, coupled with a few mishaps such as not opening a valve to allow water to flow to suburbs that had gone days without it.
Thursday marked 12 days of no water for some of the city's residents.
In this week's edition of Friday Briefing, we tackle whether the city's residents should prepare for more waterless days as Rand Water, Johannesburg Water and City officials point fingers at each other over who is to blame.
We have a submission from the director-general of water and sanitation, Dr Sean Phillips, who states the City has been underbudgeting and not prioritising budgets for water services.
It also has not fully used grants from the government to address backlogs in water and sanitation distribution infrastructure.
It is not only the City that is experiencing water woes.
Unisa's Professor Anja du Plessis points the finger at municipalities across the country for failing to provide proper service delivery. She examines various factors that reveal an impending water crisis countrywide.
We also asked our readers to tell us about their experiences over the last days and what it has been like living without water.
Finally, WaterCAN-OUTA's Dr Ferrial Adam writes it is not difficult to understand why Johannesburg Water has collapsed in the face of a leadership crisis.
We hope by the time you read this, all water has been returned to those suburbs that have been without it for nearly two weeks.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
CoJ not budgeting for maintenance, refurbishment or renewal of water infrastructure
Sean Phillips, director-general in the national Water and Sanitation Department, examines three interrelated factors that resulted in the recent water outages in Johannesburg, and whether these outages will now become the norm.
Joburg's water crisis: How mismanagement, poor water governance led to this point
The rapid escalation and exacerbation of the country's water woes can be attributed to dysfunctional and inept municipalities, the lack of necessary skilled personnel as well as the lack of financial resources and non-investment in dilapidated water infrastructure, writes Anja du Plessis.
Waterless in Joburg: Readers reflect on their almost 2 week nightmare
News24 readers left high and dry due to a prolonged water outage in Johannesburg share their thoughts on the declining water infrastructure.
Water woes: JOburg's urgent wake-up call
If we look at the City of Johannesburg and poor service delivery then it is possible to also surmise the city is similarly collapsing and lacks leadership to steer us out of this mess, writes Ferrial Adam.
