The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD), through its Water Quality and Catchment Management Unit, is implementing a series of targeted interventions to clean, rehabilitate and protect rivers and catchments across the city.

This emerged during the CoJ’s State of the Rivers in the City workshop, convened on Monday by the EISD, with the aim of briefing the Section 79 Committee on Environment and Infrastructure Services on the status of Johannesburg’s river systems and ongoing interventions.

The session was attended by Section 79 Committee chairperson Councillor Charmaine Ngoepe; Environment and Infrastructure Services MMC Councillor Jack Sekwaila; EISD executive director Dr Tebogo Modiba; members of the Section 79 Committee; and senior officials from various city entities and departments, including Johannesburg Water, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Human Settlements and Pikitup.

During the workshop, water quality task teams were established across all water management units to strengthen coordination among municipal entities, departments and external stakeholders whose operations impact water quality.

The task teams were established in response to growing concerns over the deterioration of water quality in Johannesburg’s rivers, spruits, dams and wetlands, amid the need for a coordinated and accountable approach to tackle persistent challenges such as recurring sewer spills, industrial effluent discharge and polluted stormwater runoff.

The city is divided into 19 water management units, which are hydrologically defined subcatchments that enable localised and effective water resource management, and are supported by ongoing monthly water quality monitoring programmes focusing on microbiological and chemical indicators.

Ten of the water management units fall within the Klip river catchment and nine within the Jukskei river catchment.

“We need to work as one city. A coordinated response is required to effectively address these challenges. This platform allows us to brief councillors on planned interventions, as they are often the first point of contact for residents,” said Modiba.

Within the Jukskei river catchment, several priority interventions are already underway.

Under the Bruma water management unit, which faces challenges linked to ageing infrastructure, illegal stormwater connections and upstream pressures from surrounding suburbs, the interventions include the replacement of a collapsed 400 mm sewer pipe on Kensington street, with construction currently underway. In Bezuidenhout Valley, a collapsed 600 mm pipe has been temporarily diverted, while procurement processes for a permanent replacement are ongoing.

The Kaalspruit water management unit is undertaking infrastructure improvements in the transboundary catchment, which spans parts of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

Short-term interventions include refurbishment of electromechanical equipment and enhanced security, while the long-term plans involve upgrading pump station infrastructure, installing stormwater retention systems and providing permanent backup power and security facilities.

Through the Diepsloot water management unit, which is located within a rapidly developing urban corridor that includes a mix of informal settlements and formal residential areas, recent interventions include the repair of a sewer line damaged by flooding in Bloubosrand, as well as ongoing construction to fix a collapsed sewer line in Craigavon.

“The health of Johannesburg’s rivers is directly linked to the wellbeing, environmental sustainability and future resilience of our city. This workshop provides an important platform to strengthen coordination and advance practical solutions to restore and protect our water resources for current and future generations,” said CoJ water management and biodiversity director Daniel Masemola.

During the engagement, councillors raised concerns about recurring issues and called for more proactive, long-term solutions rather than reactive responses to service failures.

In response, the city reaffirmed its commitment to prioritising pollution hotspot water management units, where sewer spills, industrial discharge, stormwater contamination and waste accumulation continue to degrade river health.

The CoJ will continue to intensify the implementation of these interventions, with a focus on addressing the root causes of pollution and restoring the ecological integrity of watercourses across the municipality.