Against a challenging backdrop of high - and rising - water demand, illegal connections, nonpayment for water, servitude encroachments and aging infrastructure, Johannesburg Water is happy with the progress it is making on its intervention programmes to ensure the City of Johannesburg's water supply.

Recently, Johannesburg Water has attracted significant public criticism, with many raising concern over the sustainability of the city's water security as residents face frequent water outages, often for days or weeks at a time.

Discussing the turnaround plan underway, the utility's achievements over the past year and its plans for the next year, Johannesburg Water MD Ntshavheni Mukwevho told media at an editors' roundtable on Tuesday that the entity faces many challenges.

These include nonrevenue water of 46.2% - against a target of 35% - which comprises commercial losses of 9.7%, unbilled/unmetered consumption of 11.7% and physical losses of 24.8%.

Further exacerbating the challenges are vandalism and theft of assets, along with illegal connections and significant encroachment on its servitudes, which make it difficult for the utility to access its pipeline in the event of leaks or maintenance. In one such example, Johannesburg Water found 280 residences built over its bulk pipeline in Protea Glen.

A high rate of urban migration and an increase in water demand, along with significantly low payment levels - 76.1% against the sustainable level of 83%, which poses financial risk to the organisation - places strain on the entity's infrastructure.

Johannesburg Water distributes, stores and supplies about 1.75-billion litres a day of potable drinking water through its network of 12 520 km of water pipes, 129 reservoirs and towers and 37 water pump stations to residents of the CoJ.

Since 2001, water demand has increased from 1.1-billion litres a day to 1.8-billion litres a day currently - this needs to be reduced to 1.5-billion litres a day by the end of the year. By September 2025, there will be further reductions.

Another challenge Johannesburg Water is working on is its noncompliance with licence conditions at its wastewater treatment works - 76.10% compliance against a target of 90%, Mukwevho outlined in a presentation to media.

Johannesburg Water collects 819 megalitres of wastewater a day, conveyed through 11 933 km of sewer pipes and 38 sewer pump stations, treating the water at six wastewater treatment plants with a combined capacity of 1 043 megalitres a day.

Further, with a total infrastructure backlog of R26.91-billion and a planned ten-year R32-billion investment strategy, the group, in collaboration with National Treasury and the trading services reform, is also working on solutions to fund its extensive infrastructure programmes.

INTERVENTIONS

Johannesburg Water had tabled several interventions under its water demand management programme, aiming to get the utility back on track and mitigate the increasingly frequent water outages, Mukwevho commented.

This includes a continuous mass disconnection programme, as illegal connections start tapping into bulk water supply, with the bylaw enforcement done in collaboration with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.

In the current financial year, Johannesburg Water disconnected 11 752 illegal connections and customer meter bypasses, using internal and external resources.

Also serving as a credit control and revenue enhancement measure, Johannesburg Water is reviewing cash collection improvement options, as well as testing a tamper-proof restricting device.

Johannesburg Water is also repairing and rehabilitating 42 reservoirs, with 22 reservoirs prioritised and issued to consultants for scoping and design.

The procurement of a panel of contractors is in progress with the intention to start repairs in the current financial year, likely in February.

Another intervention is the repair or replacement of zonal bulk meters, with 239 zonal bulk flow meters identified as criti...