Editorial: We are a shredded nation

[View this email in your browser]( FROM THE NEWSROOM October 06, 2022 [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, We all grapple with load-shedding and, in parts of Gauteng, we now grapple with water-shedding. Stage two water restrictions were introduced in Joburg this week but these will only be effective if they are enforced as they were in Cape Town during their Day Zero period. But Gauteng is not facing Day Zero. Let’s start with why there are water cuts and restrictions when the Vaal Dam is at 93.9%. Water for Johannesburg and Pretoria has to be pumped uphill, which requires electricity. Rand Water says load-shedding is affecting its reservoir pumps — and in the heatwave people are using more water — which means that reservoir capacity has dropped to 38%, way below the recommended 60%, or more than 48 hours of water storage. This stored water is a buffer and, once depleted through consumption, the benefit of the buffer is lost. This places the water systems in a precarious state. Of concern are the two hospitals in the western part of Joburg — Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph. They have boreholes and tankers deliver water but healthcare services are being negatively affected. Those who can afford it, have added to the surge in the sale of storage tanks, pumps and filtration systems for homes and businesses as they seek to fix the problem themselves, because it appears the authorities cannot do so. Just ask JoJo, which sold 50% more pumps and filters in the last year, as reported in this issue. Residents in Crosby, a suburb in Johannesburg, have pondered pooling funds to buy a generator so that when the power goes out, water can still be pumped to their homes. Not having an adequate and reliable water supply is a nationwide problem that is not confined to Johannesburg. The April floods in KwaZulu-Natal, where water systems were destroyed, the drought in Gqeberha and the effects of load-shedding on water infrastructure heightens anxiety. The Gauteng restrictions mean that people cannot water gardens, fill up swimming pools and use hose pipes to wash their cars and paved areas between 6am and 6pm. These restrictions are not dire for those of us who have cars, paved areas and gardens. And more wealthy people can afford water tanks and borehole water to offset these water problems — but this is not a permanent solution. Furthermore, the majority of South Africans are not as fortunate. Access to water is a basic human right. The fact that we are lamenting water cuts speaks volumes of our privilege, particularly when there are parts of the country where people have to walk kilometres to get a few buckets of the precious liquid and don’t have adequate sanitation. Until next week, The M&G newsroom [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2022 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( here.