- Wits University and Johannesburg Water have teamed up on a project to bring sustainable water to underserved areas in Johannesburg.
- According to Wits, the project will provide 150 to 225 liters of water per day per person for over 2,600 residents and will begin water supply from December 2025.
- As part of the project, Johannesburg Water will use Wits-led engineering and research to increase water security in the region.
The University of the Witwatersrand School of Geosciences, together with Wits Enterprise, has partnered with Johannesburg Water, the city's water utility, on a new project to provide a sustainable water supply to underserved areas, particularly the informal settlements in Region G of Johannesburg.
Prof Grant Bybee of Wits Geosciences said: “The project combines proven engineering methods with cutting-edge hydrogeological science to develop a sustainable groundwater system directly linked to households.”
According to the university, when completed, the groundwater system will provide 150 to 225 liters of water per person per day to over 2,600 residents in the area. Continuity of supply and quality of water are factors we will focus on.
“The design places great emphasis on reliability, resilience and maintainability, providing automated monitoring, significant storage capacity and a rapid response mechanism to ensure uninterrupted operation even during pump maintenance or system failures,” Bybee added.
The partnership comes at a time when Johannesburg residents are increasingly concerned about water security in the city. Constant failures of essential water infrastructure and years of mismanagement and lack of maintenance. In September, residents of Coronationville and Westbury took to the streets to protest ongoing water shortages.
Later that month, Wits launched a brand new research center looking for solutions to prevent a “Day Zero” event in South Africa, where water will stop flowing from the country's taps and all water infrastructure will stop functioning.
This is the Wits: H20 Center which issued a statement saying: “Communities across the country face water disruptions on a daily basis, such as:
As for the water project between Wits and Johannesburg Water, the university expects the project to be fully operational by December 2025, “representing a significant milestone in Johannesburg Water’s mission to bring sustainable, community-led water solutions to every corner of the city.”
“By collaborating with leading researchers at Wits University, supported by Wits Enterprise, we are proving that scientific expertise can have a direct and life-changing impact on our communities,” enthuses Dr. Zakhele Khuzwayo, Innovation and Technology Manager at Johannesburg Water.
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