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South Africa · Safe water

Safe water in South Africa: notices, drought and what to store

Phaenyx found no national list of boil-water notices in South Africa. Cape Town asks for 5 litres per person per day for three days.

Updated 2026-10-27· 5 official sources

Short answer. Phaenyx found no national list of boil-water or do-not-drink notices in South Africa: notices are local, such as Johannesburg Water's daily updates 12. The City of Cape Town asks for five litres of water per person per day for at least three days 3. A national map rates tap-water quality by system 5. In the median city, water stress is extremely high and drought risk is medium-high 4.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

Phaenyx found no national page or register of boil-water notices. Check your municipality or its water utility, and its social media accounts.

For the track record of your supply, the Department of Water and Sanitation's My Water map lets you "Find out the quality of the tap water in your area", rating each system Excellent, Acceptable, Poor or Bad for microbiological compliance against the SANS 241 drinking-water standard 5. It is a recent history, not a live alert.

Locally, in Johannesburg, the city's utility, Johannesburg Water, publishes daily water supply system status updates 1 and a list of dated customer notices, posted almost every day 2. To report a problem it gives an email address for water incidents (fault@jwater.co.za), a contact centre (+27 (0) 10 061 4470) and its Twitter (@JHBWater) and Facebook accounts 1. Its stated turnaround time for a water outage is 24 hours 1. These are Johannesburg channels only; other cities run their own, so find yours before an outage.

If you are told to boil or not to drink the water, see What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices. For how official warnings reach you, see our South Africa alerts page.

How much water should I store?

Phaenyx found no national figure. Locally, the City of Cape Town's disaster guidelines ask for "Five litres of water per person per day for at least three days – for drinking, cleaning and personal hygiene" 3. For a household of four, that is 60 litres. More detail is on our South Africa emergency supplies page. For storage and rotation, see How much water to store per person per day? and Water storage containers.

Cape Town also says that if you have to evacuate your home, shut off the water and electricity or gas before leaving 3.

Is South Africa short of water?

Yes, in many places. In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the population-weighted median of South African cities falls in the "extremely high" category for current water stress, stays "extremely high" in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and is "medium-high" on its separate drought-risk scale (Low, Low-Medium, Medium, Medium-High, High) 4. These are city medians: a given town or catchment can sit higher or lower. Follow your municipality's announcements on water restrictions. For household steps, see Drought preparedness.

What if I have a borehole or private well?

Phaenyx found no national official guidance for private boreholes. See Private well emergencies, How to purify water and Emergency water filters.

What should I do after a flood?

Follow your municipality's instructions on tap water, and see Water safety after a flood. A household plan can keep your water stock, your utility's contacts and your meeting point in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a national list of boil-water notices in South Africa?

Phaenyx found none. Notices come from your municipality or water utility; in Johannesburg, from Johannesburg Water 12.

How much water does Cape Town recommend?

The city, not the national government, asks for five litres per person per day for at least three days, for drinking, cleaning and personal hygiene 3.

How do I report a water outage in Johannesburg?

Email fault@jwater.co.za or call +27 (0) 10 061 4470; the stated turnaround for a water outage is 24 hours 1.

Is water stress high in South Africa?

Yes. The median South African city is "extremely high" for water stress today and in 2050 in Aqueduct 4.0 4.

Sources

  1. Johannesburg Water SOC Ltd (City of Johannesburg) — Daily water supply system status updates — https://www.johannesburgwater.co.za/daily-water-notices/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  2. Johannesburg Water SOC Ltd (City of Johannesburg) — Customer Notices — https://www.johannesburgwater.co.za/media/media-statement/customer-notices/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
  3. City of Cape Town — Disaster guidelines — https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/safety-in-the-home/natural-disasters-and-your-home/disaster-guidelines (accessed 2026-10-27)
  4. World Resources Institute (WRI) — Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) — https://www.wri.org/aqueduct (accessed 2026-10-27)
  5. Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) — My Water (IRIS): tap water quality in South Africa — https://web.archive.org/web/20250624201503/https://ws.dws.gov.za/IRIS/mywater.aspx (archived copy of 2025-06-24, accessed 2026-10-27)

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Sources

  1. Johannesburg Water SOC Ltd (City of Johannesburg) · Daily water supply system status updates checked 2026-10-27
  2. Johannesburg Water SOC Ltd (City of Johannesburg) · Customer Notices checked 2026-10-27
  3. City of Cape Town · Disaster guidelines checked 2026-10-27
  4. World Resources Institute (WRI) · Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) checked 2026-10-27
  5. Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) · My Water (IRIS): tap water quality in South Africa checked 2026-10-27