Johannesburg – Water supply systems are under “severe strain” in Johannesburg, Tshwane, and surrounding areas, Gauteng authorities warned on Sunday.
“The persistent heatwave experienced in the past few weeks as well as the lack of rain has resulted in high demand, which has led to the bulk supplier’s reservoir levels declining at an undesirable rate, impacting Johannesburg Water and other metros,” said Johannesburg Water in a statement.
“Currently, demand is outstripping supply.
“Although Rand Water is pumping and supplying, the increased demand on the entire system has resulted in reservoirs being unable to maintain capacity.”
The statement said over the past few months, Rand Water has been holding daily Joint Operations Committee meetings with Johannesburg Water, the City of Tshwane, as well as the City of Ekurhuleni in efforts to find strategies and solutions to addressing this high-demand issue.
“Furthermore, Johannesburg Water technical teams have been working behind-the-scenes implementing daily internal interventions to mitigate the situation and improve water supply to its customers,” the statement said.
The entity urged the City of Johannesburg’s residents and businesses to work with us in reducing water wastage by at least 10%.
“This includes adhering to the City’s level-1 water restrictions, which require residents to use water sparingly especially with South Africa being a water-scarce country,” said the statement.
“Under level-1 water restrictions, the watering of gardens is prohibited between 6 am and 6 pm. Furthermore, residents are not permitted to wash paved areas and driveways using hose pipes.
“It is more imperative now more than ever that we embrace a new mindset on water conservation. By adopting tiny adjustments each day, we can all have an impact.”
Here are simple water-saving habits to implement into your daily routine:
- Do not leave taps dripping, and repair leaking taps in your household
- Wash your car on the grass as this will water your lawn at the same time
- Shorten your showering time
- Use a glass of water to rinse when brushing your teeth
- Take shallow baths and avoid filling your bath to a depth greater than 100mm
- Reuse grey water to water your garden or pot plants
Meanwhile, the City of Tshwane also warned the water supply system was below 30 percent and immediate intervention was required prompting an urgent shutdown of supplies to certain reservoirs.
“Following an emergency meeting held between Rand Water and all the Gauteng metros this morning, (16 March 2024), a clarion call was made by the water utility for the metros to begin to manage water consumption which is exceedingly high,” the City of Tshwane said on Saturday.
According to the water utility, its water supply system is experiencing a severe strain, which can possibly lead to a total system collapse.
The City of Tshwne said it was observing high water consumption/usage which exacerbates the situation. F
Furthermore, the City is currently exceeding its limit in terms of the bulk water supply allocation.
The City of Tshwane requested residents to assist in avoiding a possible “system collapse” by using water wisely, sparingly, and when it was “absolutely necessary”.
Residents are further encouraged to implement the following water-saving tips:
- Do not water or irrigate gardens with hosepipes or sprinkler systems between 06:00 and 18:00.
- Do not wash cars using a hosepipe.
- Do not clean driveways or pavements using a hosepipe.
- Flush toilets only when necessary.
- Close a running tap while brushing teeth.
- Reduce daily water usage as much as possible.
- Do not fill swimming pools from the municipal water supply. Manually topping up swimming pools is allowed only if the swimming pool is fitted with a pool cover that prevents evaporation.
