Pretoria – Excessive water use has led the City of Tshwane to impose Level 1 restrictions.
The City of Tshwane on Sunday, (13 October 2024), said it was continuing to experience a week-on-week high consumption of water by residents and businesses.
The City said the Rand Water system, which accounts for 79% of Tshwane’s water provision, was under severe pressure due to excessive demand.
“The Water Utility is pumping about 800 million litres per day to Tshwane, which is 18% more than the City’s licence agreement with the entity,” revealed the municipality.
The City said it has implemented Level 1 water restrictions which include:
• No watering or irrigation of gardens with a hosepipe or sprinkler system between 06:00 and 18:00.
• No using of a hosepipe to clean driveways or patios.
• No washing of vehicles with a hosepipe.
• No filling or top-up of swimming pools or water features.
The City warned: “It is against this background that customers are cautioned that if the current consumption practice does not change, the city will imminently adjust the water restrictions to level 2 or even higher”.
Such restrictions will have financial implications for consumers due to associated changes in water tariffs.
“The City is once more urging all residents to make a concerted effort to reduce water usage by adhering to the level 1 water restrictions,” the municipality said.
“Punitive measures will be imposed against transgressors.
“The Water Utility is pumping about 800 million litres per day to Tshwane, which is 18% more than the city’s licence agreement with the entity.
“This behaviour [Excessive water use] is putting the city’s bulk water system under severe strain and may lead to the municipality’s system running dry and eventually collapsing.”
