Residents of Bezuidenhout Valley in Johannesburg are calling on Johannesburg Water to urgently deploy water tankers as the community enters its fourth day without water amid concerns about possible contamination.
The water utility issued an advisory on Thursday warning residents of potential contamination following repairs to a severely damaged water pipe.
The pipe was damaged when a tree fell on it during sewer excavation work.
The prolonged outage has left residents struggling to meet basic household needs, including cooking, bathing and preparing children for school.
One resident described the situation as increasingly difficult, saying families had been forced to buy bottled water despite financial constraints.
“People are forced to go and buy water, and some people are unemployed. Without water, you can’t survive, so this truly affects us,” the resident said.
Residents have also raised concerns about whether the water will be safe to use once the supply is restored.
Ward 66 councillor Carlos da Rocha has criticised Johannesburg Water’s response, accusing the utility of failing to provide adequate support to the affected community.
Da Rocha says he has been requesting emergency water tankers for three days but has yet to receive a response.
He also claims the utility was unaware of the potential contamination until he raised the alarm.
The councillor said he issued a red alert on Wednesday morning, warning residents who still had water not to use it because of the risk of contamination following the completion of repairs.
Several streets between 4th and 10th streets have been affected by the outage, leaving a significant section of the community without water.
Da Rocha says he also raised the need for emergency water supplies during a meeting with Johannesburg Water but has received no feedback.
He further described the incident as the third contamination-related problem affecting the same block, albeit from different sources.
The councillor has called for improved communication and a more urgent response from the utility, as residents continue to wait for their water supply to be restored and for clarity on its safety.