The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Cllr Dada Morero, has reaffirmed the City’s commitment to stabilising the municipal water network and reducing overall consumption through an intensified and coordinated Water Demand Management Programme.
The programme brings together the City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg Water, Rand Water and key stakeholders in a comprehensive approach to address both immediate supply constraints and long-term water security. It includes detailed analysis of consumption patterns, targeted interventions in high-risk areas and the use of advanced technologies to monitor and optimise the entire water supply system.
Johannesburg remains one of the largest consumers of bulk water supplied by Rand Water. While recent projects have contributed to a measurable reduction in daily consumption, the City must still reach a critical target of 1 550 Ml/day in line with licence apportionment requirements.
“Our message is clear: water security is a shared responsibility,” said Cllr Morero. “As the City, we are implementing firm and practical measures to protect supply, but lasting success depends on every resident, business and institution using water wisely and avoiding wastage.”
To achieve the required reductions, the City is rolling out a series of urgent interventions, including real-time monitoring of consumption at the district and household level, partnerships with businesses to promote water-saving practices, and strengthened public awareness campaigns.
Immediate measures already underway include:
- Night-time throttling to reduce system losses
- Strategic bulk meter restrictions in high-consumption areas
- Intensified pressure management
- Deployment of advanced leak detection technologies
In addition, rapid-response teams are repairing identified leaks, the frequency of system audits has been increased, and ward committees are being engaged to help identify and report problem areas more quickly.
“These interventions are not short-term fixes alone,” added Mayor Morero. “They form part of a broader strategy to build a resilient water system that can withstand growing demand, infrastructure pressures and climate-related risks. We are acting now to secure Johannesburg’s water future.”
The system continues to face strain from ageing infrastructure, illegal connections and historical underinvestment. Through Johannesburg Water’s Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Strategy, the City is accelerating reservoir repairs, pipeline replacement programmes, the rollout of smart metering and stricter enforcement of by-laws to reduce non-revenue water and restore system efficiency.
Communities supplied by the HH2 reservoir — including Melville, Westdene and Parktown West — have experienced disruptions due to constraints in the Commando system and ongoing commissioning work. Technical teams are working to restore stability by addressing pressure challenges, flushing networks to remove blockages and providing alternative supply through water tankers and mobile storage where required. The City continues to provide regular updates and works closely with ward councillors to ensure community needs are addressed.
At the same time, major infrastructure upgrades are underway in the Brixton, Crosby and Hursthill supply districts. These include the construction of new reservoirs, installation of modern pump stations and refurbishment of ageing infrastructure — projects expected to significantly improve capacity, operational flexibility and system resilience.
The City acknowledges the inconvenience caused by water supply challenges and assures residents that stabilising the network remains a top priority. Residents, businesses and institutions are urged to reduce consumption, report leaks promptly and strictly adhere to water-saving measures during this period.
Johannesburg remains committed to protecting essential services, strengthening infrastructure and ensuring a reliable, sustainable water future for all.