Your street may differ: each report covers a reservoir or tower and the area it feeds, and higher streets lose water first. What JW's words mean
Day by day
In 2026 so far: 15 days short of water for South Hills Tower, from 185 days with a report. A typical supply in the city, the median one (half had fewer), had 4 days.
Each square is a day, as JW reported it for a supply: a reservoir or tower that JW reports on. The number at the right is the month's days short of water.
In 2026 so far, JW reported South Hills Tower short of water on 15 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 276 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul0
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb1
Mar2
Apr1
May3
Jun2
Jul2
Aug3
Sep1
water as normal
supplying fairly
JW warned
low, or weak in places
short of water
critically low
shut for the night
no JW report
still filling in
JW's reported status of the reservoir or tower, not measured water at taps. Boards from March 2025.
Source: Johannesburg Water's System Update boards and notices, read by us. How this record is made.
Cite this figure
watersearch (2026). “In 2026 so far, JW reported South Hills Tower short of water on 15 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/risana#fig-year
The data as a table
Month
Days reported
Days in record
Adequate or fair
Poor pressure in places, or low
Warning: no water may occur
Poor pressure to no water
Critically low
Overnight closure
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
April 2025
13
30
13
0
0
0
0
0
May 2025
12
31
12
0
0
0
0
0
June 2025
26
30
25
0
0
1
0
0
July 2025
22
31
22
0
0
0
0
0
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
February 2026
6
28
4
1
0
0
1
0
March 2026
20
31
18
0
0
2
0
0
April 2026
29
30
28
0
0
0
1
0
May 2026
30
31
27
0
0
1
2
0
June 2026
29
30
24
3
0
1
1
0
July 2026
29
31
27
0
0
0
2
0
August 2026
22
31
18
0
1
3
0
0
September 2026
20
29
19
0
0
1
0
0
A day counts as short of water when JW's worst report for it that day was “poor pressure to no water” or “critically low”, as happening or expected (expected most often means higher streets). A warning that it may occur does not count.
In short
The latest JW report on this site is from 29 September 2026; the site last read JW's website on 1 October. That day South Hills Tower had weak water or none at 13:10 and had a warning of weak water or none at 20:30. This year South Hills Tower was short of water on 15 of the 185 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. No JW notice we have read names South Hills Tower.
Latest JW report
South Hills Tower, 29 September 2026: weak water or none at 13:10 (JW: “No pumping poor incoming supply”), then a warning of weak water or none at 20:30 (JW: “No pumping, poor incoming supply”).
JW put it on its website 1 October 2026 at 13:40. JW's page for this board ↗ · JW's image of the board ↗
On JW's list of towers, June 2024, as Risana. Source 1 ↗
Outages
JW reported 11 outages on Risana's supply since March 2025. The longest lasted at least 3.4 days. Every outage, with how long it lasted: South Hills Tower.
JW's end dates
No JW notice we have read stated an end time for this supply. Each end date against what happened: South Hills Tower.
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Risana had 16 days under strain: days when JW reported any of its supplies low or worse, or warned that higher-lying areas may lose water. This is a wider count than days short of water.
The network is linked. When a supply runs low, the reservoirs and towers around it carry more. At such times JW's boards sometimes warn of “poor pressure to no water in higher-lying areas”: under strain, higher streets lose water first. JW does not say which streets those are.
What JW's boards cannot tell you
JW's boards report reservoirs and towers, so some things are not in this record:
Whether water reaches your street or your tap.
Which streets lose water first: JW warns of higher-lying areas but does not name the streets.
Why a supply ran low, unless a JW notice gives a reason.
Pipe bursts, tankers and valve work, which are not on the boards.