Johannesburg is leaking water. In its latest annual report (which covers the 2023/24 financial year), Johannesburg Water, the city’s water and sanitation utility, revealed there were 402 pipe bursts for every 100km of pipe – or roughly one burst every 250 metres.

It’s the city’s second-worst year for pipe bursts in a decade. The culprit? Ageing infrastructure.

Those bursts come at a high price. The city lost R2.1-billion worth of water to leaks and bursts in 2023/24 alone.

Johannesburg Water is replacing pipes, but progress is slow. Only 17km of pipes were replaced last year and 19km in 2022/23. This is a sharp drop from the 100km replaced in 2021/22.

• Produced by The Outlier in partnership with Our City News.