No additional water for Gauteng until 2029, when delayed Lesotho project comes online

Gauteng's water crisis is expected to continue for years to come.

Recently, residents in parts of Johannesburg were without water for weeks on end.

RELATED: Water tankers and 20 litre buckets common sight in parts of Gauteng due to water crisis

High consumption, low reservoir levels, power failures and sabotage are among the factors cited for specifically the city's water problems.

And delays in the completion of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) are adding to the pressure.

Gauteng faces five years of water disruptions like the ones in Joburg until Phase 2 comes on stream, writes Carol Paton for News24Business.

Motheo Khoaripe interviews the editor-at-large on The Money Show.

The problem in Gauteng is that it simply doesn't have enough treated water, Paton says.

"The levels at the Vaal Dam (67%) can't be lowered and Rand Water allowed to take more out, because of the threat of drought."

Carol Paton, Editor-at-large - News24 Business

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) actually did plan for this, starting back in 1980 Paton says.

The problem is that the LHWP Phase 2 that had been scheduled to come on line in 2019, is now only going to do so in 2029.

During these 'missing' years the population of the province has grown by 25%, while the water supply has remained the same.

"This is a huge mega-project. Construction only started at the beginning of last year - prior to that, six to seven years were wasted as politicians intervened, from South Africa and Lesotho."

Carol Paton, Editor-at-large - News24 Business

South Africa's implementing agency, the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), has reported that the the cost of the project has now gone up by around R18 billion.

"The project is now sitting at R42 billion, and R18 billon of that can be attributed to all the delays."

"The cost is huge - you've got the R42 billion capital expenditure by our government on this, and then another R35 billion by Rand Water to build more capacity to store all of this additional water we're going to get."

"That money has to be recouped from the people who'r using the water; that's you and me."

Carol Paton, Editor-at-large - News24 Business