Gauteng is heading into another hot summer with water restrictions, outages and ageing infrastructure all happening at the same time. Johannesburg and surrounding areas are already seeing pressure problems, level restrictions and sudden shutdowns for maintenance.
If you live in Gauteng, this is not theory. It is:
- Burst pipes in the street
- Water tankers parking at the corner
- WhatsApp groups asking, “Who still has water?”
In this blog we look at:
- Why the crisis is getting worse, even with big national water projects
- Why a loose JoJo tank on its own is not a complete plan
- When a borehole makes sense and when it does not
- How to build a tested backup water system around your home, step by step
- Why Gauteng’s water crisis is becoming a household problem
Across South Africa many water and wastewater systems are in a poor state. That shows up as:
- More pipe bursts and leaks
- More sewage in rivers and streams
- More pressure on dams and bulk suppliers
In Gauteng that reality is already visible:
- Reservoirs and towers often run low, which leads to low pressure or no water at all
- Restrictions on garden watering are now common in summer
- Large maintenance projects can leave parts of the network off for many hours or even days
Big projects at national level might improve the overall picture one day, but they do not help you when your street has been dry since yesterday. For the next few years, municipal water in Gauteng is likely to stay under pressure.
In simple terms, your home cannot rely on one pipe from the street anymore.
- What about the Lesotho Highlands Project and the Vaal Dam?
People often say, “But the Vaal Dam is full, why are we still having outages?” It is a fair question.
The Vaal Dam can be relatively full, yet suburbs still sit without water. That is because the real problems are often in the treatment plants, pumping systems and local pipes, not only in how much water is stored in the dam. A full dam does not automatically give you water at your kitchen tap.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is another example. It is a large scheme that brings extra water from Lesotho into the Vaal system for Gauteng. Phase 2 has taken many years to develop and is expected to help more in the longer term. It is important for the region, but it will not fix next week’s outage in your street.
This is why backup water solutions have become so important. The big projects work at regional level. Your tanks, borehole and treatment work at household level. You need both sides, but only one of them can be installed at your home this month.
- Backup water is no longer a luxury
A few years ago, backup water storage was mostly for farms and lodges. In 2025, tanks and pumps are becoming normal household infrastructure, just like inverters and gas hobs.
Common stories we hear from families:
- “We had no water for two days, but we still had power.”
- “When the water came back it was brown, and we did not want to drink it.”
- “The school sent messages about toilets and hygiene problems during outages.”
- “We drilled a borehole, but now we are worried about E. coli, nitrates and limescale in the geyser.”
The answer is not to panic drill or panic buy equipment. The answer is to build a simple, layered backup plan that fits how your family lives and what your water quality looks like.
- Step 1: Test your water before you spend money
Before you invest in tanks, pumps, filters or a borehole, you need to know what you are working with.
At H₂OGuru we always start with Sample to Solution.
- Sample
We collect a sample at your tap, borehole or tank. If you are further away, we arrange courier collection. - Test
We send your sample to SANAS accredited laboratories and test against SANS 241:2015, the South African drinking water standard. - Explain
You receive a one page Clarity Report in plain language. Any problems are clearly flagged, with a short explanation. - Design
Only after testing do we recommend tanks, filters, disinfection, or borehole treatment if needed.
Testing first means:
- You avoid overspending on equipment that you do not need
- You catch invisible problems such as high nitrates, manganese or bacteria
- You can prove improvement later with a verification test after installation
- Step 2: Choose the right backup setup for your home
Once you understand your water quality, you can choose the right combination of source, storage and treatment for your property.
5.1 Municipal water plus storage tank
This is the simplest and most common starting point.
Best for:
- Townhouses, complexes and suburbs that usually have water, but suffer regular outages or low pressure
- Homes where drilling a borehole is not practical or is not allowed
Typical setup:
- One or more storage tanks (for example 2 500 to 5 000 litres)
- A booster pump that feeds the house when municipal pressure is low or zero
- A pre filter and disinfection step such as a sediment filter and UV light to protect your family and your appliances
Benefits:
- Keeps taps, toilets and showers running during outages
- Gives time for brown water and sediment to settle and be filtered
- Uses your current municipal connection, so installation is usually straightforward
5.2 Borehole plus treatment
A borehole can be very powerful for long term security, but it is never “free water” that can simply be used untreated.
Best for:
- Properties with enough space and access for drilling
- Households with high water use such as gardens, pools and animals
- Areas where municipal supply is very unreliable or where pressure is constantly low
Risks if you skip testing and treatment:
- Microbiological contamination such as E. coli and other coliforms
- Hardness and limescale that damage geysers, elements and plumbing
- Problem chemicals and metals such as nitrates, manganese, iron or fluoride, depending on the geology
A responsible borehole setup usually includes:
- Yield testing to see what the borehole can deliver
- Full SANS 241 water testing before connecting to the house
- A treatment train that is designed for your exact results, for example sediment filters, scale control, iron and manganese removal, softening, disinfection and more
- Regular service and repeat testing to make sure the system keeps working
5.3 Hybrid systems that use both municipal and borehole
Many Gauteng homes are now moving to a hybrid model.
Typical pattern:
- Municipal water for drinking and indoor use, protected by point of entry filtration
- Borehole water for garden irrigation, pool top ups and sometimes toilets
- Shared storage tanks that can hold water from either source or keep the house running during outages
This kind of design gives you:
- Redundancy if one source fails
- Lower municipal bills over time
- Flexibility to adapt as the crisis changes
- Water quality during outages and low pressure
Water quality is often at its worst when the system is under stress.
Common issues during and after outages:
- Brown or dirty water when lines are re pressurised
- Higher bacteria counts when reservoirs run low or when supply is intermittent
- Aggressive water that is more corrosive to pipes and geysers, especially where treatment has been adjusted
Without proper treatment this can lead to:
- Sediment clogging cartridges, shower heads and appliances
- Rust coloured stains in baths and basins
- Long term damage to geysers, washing machines and dishwashers
A tested backup system allows you to filter, disinfect and stabilise the water before it reaches your taps, no matter what arrives from the street.
- How H₂OGuru designs “Sample to Solution” backup systems
Every property is different, but a typical H₂OGuru journey looks like this.
Step 1: Quick site discussion and mapping
We start with a simple conversation:
- Where your water comes from now
- How often you have outages
- What your typical monthly usage looks like
- Whether you plan to add a borehole in future
Step 2: Water testing
- We arrange sampling at your tap, borehole or tank
- The sample goes to a SANAS accredited lab for SANS 241 testing
- You receive a Clarity Report with plain language explanations and flags
Step 3: Design and quotation
Based on your results and your goals, we might recommend:
Backup municipal system
- Storage tank or tanks
- Booster pump
- Sediment and carbon filters
- UV disinfection or other disinfection where needed
Borehole treatment system
- Pre filtration for sand and sediment
- Scale and hardness management
- Iron, manganese or nitrate treatment if your results show a problem
- Disinfection for microbiological safety
Hybrid system
- Pumping from borehole into storage tanks
- Smart changeover between municipal and borehole
- Filtration sized to handle whole house flow rates
We design in modules so that you can start with the most important items and expand later as budget allows.
Step 4: Installation and proof of outcome
- Our teams install and commission the system
- We check pressures, flow and basic clarity
- Where clients want full peace of mind, we repeat testing after installation to show the improvement on paper
- Questions that clients often ask
“What size tank do I need?”
Most homes in Gauteng do well with 2 500 to 5 000 litres for basic backup, but it depends on:
- Number of people in the home
- Whether you only want to cover indoor use or also the garden and pool
- How long your typical outages last
We can help you calculate this from your municipal bill and your lifestyle.
“Is a borehole worth it if I already have a tank?”
Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
- If your main problem is short outages, municipal plus storage may be enough
- If your suburb has chronic supply issues, or if you use a lot of water for gardens and pools, a borehole can be a game changer, provided it is tested and treated correctly
The key is to test first, then compare the cost of drilling and treatment against your long-term municipal costs.
“Can I drink borehole water?”
You can only safely drink borehole water if all three of these are true:
- The water has been tested against SANS 241
- Any problems found in the results are corrected through proper treatment
- The system is maintained, and the water is retested regularly
We often see DIY setups where borehole water is fed straight into the house with no testing at all. That can work for irrigation, but it is risky for drinking.
- Why decentralised water solutions are the future
Across South Africa there is a growing shift toward decentralised water solutions. This simply means more storage, more treatment and smarter reuse at the point where water is used, not only at big central plants.
For households in Gauteng this usually looks like:
- Tanks and pumps
- Boreholes where possible
- Proper filtration and disinfection
- In some cases, rainwater or greywater used for gardens and flushing
The goal is not to walk away from municipal water. The goal is to build resilience at home so that your family can carry on when the larger system has problems.
- Ready to build your backup water plan?
If you are in Pretoria, Johannesburg or the wider Gauteng area, H₂OGuru can help you move from brown taps and buckets to a tested, reliable backup water system.
We can:
- Arrange sampling and courier collection
- Test your water against SANS 241
- Design a municipal, borehole or hybrid system that fits your budget
- Install and maintain filters, UV systems and ScaleStop units
- Offer service plans and annual retesting so your system keeps doing its job