Water tankers are often deployed during times when the taps dry up and the reservoirs are empty. However, deploying them can be a difficult task at times due to the complicated nature of the water system. We take a closer look at how exactly the water system works in the City of Johannesburg.
Be part of Salaam Foundation’s Sadaqah Jaariya Project this Ramadan – raising funds for a water tanker truck. Salaam Foundation launched a fundraising campaign to buy a water tanker truck that will be used to deliver water to those in dire need as the water crisis facing Johannesburg continues.
Salaam Foundation would like to assist communities in need.
Salaam Foundation
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Ref: water + your name (zaakat/lillah)
Give the gift of water to those most in need with Salaam Foundation
There are seven water systems within the City of Johannesburg. The seven systems are the Commando system, the Randburg system, the Central systems, Soweto Systems, Deep South systems and Sandton system. These systems contain the reservoirs and towers which supply water to the City of Johannesburg. Some of the systems service a large area and some of the systems only service a smaller area. Over 50 reservoirs and water towers make up the City of Johannesburg’s water system. Each day Johannesburg Water releases updates on the status of the water system – whether it’s stable or critical.
Previously, Johannesburg Water would release the percentages of each reservoir. However, when there were issues with the percentages and people still not having water despite the supposed high percentages of the reservoirs, they stopped doing that and resorted to just sharing a table.
#joburgupdates#SystemsUpdate
^LM pic.twitter.com/5bPKitc8vz— Johannesburg Water (@JHBWater) March 19, 2025
So where does the water come from to feed the reservoirs and water towers? Each province is allocated a certain percentage of water based on what is available in the dams and the number of people in that province. We know the Vaal Dam is currently as of March 11, 2025, sitting at 101.51% capacity.
Rand Water who is the largest bulk water utility in Africa and is one of the largest in the world. It provided bulk potable water to more than 11 million people in Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State and North West. They buy the water from the Department of Water and Sanitation. Most of the water comes from the Vaal Dam which Rand Water takes and treats to potable quality. They then sell the water to Johannesburg and Pretoria (and other cities and towns) which are in Gauteng. The cities sell the water to their residents through their distribution systems.
Rand Water as the bulk water utility is not allowed to supply more than the amount set by the Department of Water and Sanitation. The department has to take into consideration the future needs of the entire country which is why there is sometimes a mismatch between what’s allocated by the national government and what’s needed on the ground.
The water system is meant to provide water for all the residents but everyone is well aware that doesn’t happen. Previously, it was unpacked regarding why that happens with three main reasons being singled out: mismanagement, ageing infrastructure and overuse. Those three factors are very important to understand why the City is facing a water crisis.
The dams are filled but the City of Johannesburg still faces a water crisis. Why?
Since November 8 2025, Johannesburg Water has been implementing water supply reduction with the City of Johannesburg under Level 1 water restrictions. Along with the information provided around the status of the water systems, Johannesburg Water also releases the list of reservoirs and towers which are subjected to throttling. Some reservoirs and towers are subjected to throttling daily while others are subjected to throttling through schedule rotations.
@salaam_foundation 12 March 2025. The #vaaldam is 102,14% full. #water #rain #southafrica ♬ original sound – salaam_foundation
For Gauteng and the City of Johannesburg, a major issue has been the dramatic increase in water requirements. Gauteng is the most populated province in the country despite being one of the smallest. In this paper on the overview of the water system which came out in the year 2000, the high scenario for 2025 was a projected dramatic increase in water requirements. It served as a conservative indicator of unexpected shortages. The paper which was put together by the Department of Water and Sanitation said it would test the resilience of proposed strategic plans regarding water resource development. As most people will be well aware, the proposed resilience of the plans have not worked out well. The paper estimated that, based on current usage trends, water demand will exceed availability by 2025. It can clearly be seen that this is a problem facing residents and the City in 2025 and it’s only set to worsen.
Even plans like maintenance to fix the aging infrastructure of the water system often leaves communities without water for days and even weeks while officials scramble to find solutions.
As Craig Sheridan wrote for The Conversation, “Gauteng citizens use too much, the cities waste way too much and there is too much theft of drinking water. The social pact is breaking down as a consequence.”
The City needs to do a lot of work to repair the infrastructure and stop the loss of non-revenue water. But there also needs to be some work done from residents to consider their own water usage and reduce it. However, when the residents feel aggrieved with the lack of water, people are just not interested in reducing water usage, leading to this maelstrom of a crisis the City is currently facing.
Here are some of the numbers behind the crisis.
