Joburg Water to begin construction of new pipeline to boost supply in Westbury

Johannesburg Water is expected to begin the construction of a new pipeline on Monday, meant to assist with supplying water to Westbury and surrounding areas in parts of the city. 

This follows tense community protests two weeks ago when residents clashed with police over calls for Joburg Water officials to account for the persistent water woes. 

Frustrated residents have had to contend with dry taps and intermittent supply for months now. 

When the water utility first responded to protesting residents, it promised to restore water in seven days by reducing water supply in other areas to increase water levels in the affected reservoirs. 

READ: Westbury residents dismiss Joburg mayor's claims that interventions to restore water is on track

21 water tankers were also deployed to the areas to help alleviate the issue. 

However, on Thursday, last week, on the deadline to restore the water to households, the water utility said it had proven harder than expected to bring back water because the areas in the west of Johannesburg are high-lying. 

As a new solution, a new pipeline will be built underneath Harmony Street, feeding from the Crosby reservoir to supply water systems that feed water into the affected areas. 

The project is estimated to take three weeks.