Millions of litres of water lost to illegal use every day in Joburg

Joburg Water says it is losing 12-million litres of water a day due to illegal connections made by informal settlement residents in the south of the city.

Speaking during a media tour at the Orange Farm reservoir yesterday, Joburg Water Deep South regional manager Kagiso Manganye said the water loss was tied to about 40,000 households in 44 informal settlements tapping into the municipal supply without authorisation.

“There are quite a number of informal settlements we’ve identified with illegal connections to our system. The total households involved is estimated to be around 40,000. From the illegal connections, we’re losing about 12-million litres of water per day. That’s a substantial loss.”

Manganye said that Joburg Water’s daily allocation of 1,500 megalitres from Rand Water is stretched and illegal connections added to the strain.

“We provide informal settlements with about 1.4-million litres of water daily through tanks, but illegal connections far exceed the supply,” he said.

The tour, organised by the water utility, aimed to provide insights into the challenges of managing water supplies.

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