Decades of Underinvestment Leave Johannesburg with R27 Billion Water Crisis

JOHANNESBURG, 20 Sept 2025 – The true scale of Johannesburg's relentless water crisis has been laid bare: a devastating R27 billion infrastructure backlog caused by decades of systematic underinvestment, leaving one-fifth of the city's water assets on the brink of failure within the next decade.

This massive funding shortfall, revealed by Johannesburg Water's Managing Director in recent parliamentary hearings, is the root cause of the aging pipes, crumbling reservoirs, and inadequate pumping capacity that have left millions of residents facing dry taps and unreliable supply.

READ:Johannesburg Water's 32.5 Billion Rand Rescue Plan

A System on the Brink of Failure

The crisis is not a sudden failure but the inevitable result of years of neglect. Officials admitted that a staggering 20% of the city's water assets have a remaining useful life of less than 10 years, meaning a huge portion of the system is simultaneously reaching the end of its lifespan.

"We acknowledge that historically we have not been investing at the correct pace," the Managing Director told parliamentarians, presenting graphs that showed renewal spending consistently falling far short of what was required.

The Alarming Investment Gap

The numbers reveal a seemingly insurmountable challenge:

• Current Pipe Replacement: 85 km per year (up from 25 km last year)
• Required Pipe Replacement: 186 km per year
• At the current rate, it would take over 140 years to replace the crumbling pipe network alone.

While the city has increased its water infrastructure budget from R1.2 billion to R1.7 billion this financial year, this is barely half of the estimated R3.2 billion needed annually to begin addressing the backlog.

READ: 33% Water Loss: Johannesburg Losing Third of Supply Through Leaks

A Perfect Storm: Aging Infrastructure and Population Boom

The problem is compounded by rapid population growth that has dramatically outpaced infrastructure development.

"Another key issue is the population growth which really puts strain in the overall system because the investment has not really been done to match the actual growth that happens," the official stated.

This means decades-old systems, with some reservoirs being over 50 years old, are now serving a population far larger than they were ever designed for, leading to constant strain and frequent failure.