Tshwane residents urged to use water sparingly amid high demand

The City of Tshwane has appealed to residents to use water sparingly as the city has experienced a sharp increase in water consumption beyond what can sustainably be supplied. 

The city said the increase in water demand has resulted in some reservoirs within the city struggling and some areas being without water.

“The current high demand situation is putting customers at risk of having stringent restrictions imposed, which comes with additional costs for residents. Communities are implored to use water sparingly,” the city said in a statement.

According to the city, the areas where water consumption is significantly higher than what they should be consuming are Nellmapius; Leander Road Meter; Blair Athol Reservoir; Louwlardia Reservoir; Laudium Reservoir; Wonderboom Reservoir; Klapperkop H14; Lotus Gardens; Kosmosdal, and Doornkloof Reservoir.

Other areas with high consumption include Klapperkop Reservoir; Bakenkop Reservoir; Magaliesberg Reservoir; Garsfontein Reservoir; Soshanguve; Waterkloof Ridge Ext No 2; Constantia Park; Gastonbury Reservoir, and Grootfontein.

The city also noted that the Mooikloof Reservoir has been struggling with low to no water supply due to increased water consumption.

The city urged the residents to manufacture the following water conservation measures section of their normal lifestyle:
•    Do not water or irrigate gardens with hosepipes or sprinkler systems between 6am and 6pm;
•    Do not wash vehicles with hosepipes; and
•    Do not fill swimming pools. 

“Furthermore, residents are urged to start using greywater to water gardens and flush toilets. Residents should report water leaks, burst pipes and all incidents where water is wasted. Where possible, water saving devices should be installed,” the city said.

Situation to respond to peak demand period

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo, has given Rand Water and the City of Tshwane two weeks to assign together a medium- to long-term position on how they are going to respond to the peak demand period that is exacerbated by high temperatures, interruptions in storage capacity recovery due to load shedding, non-revenue water, as well as how the city will receive the extra water to be allocated from Rand Water. 

Mahlobo gave the directive during a meeting between Rand Water and the City of Tshwane.

During the meeting, the technical team — led by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Provincial Head Justice Maluleke; Rand Water Chief Executive Sipho Mosai and the City of Tshwane’s Group Head for Water and Sanitation Stephens Notoane — presented a report back on pace made on the action region.

The location had been presented and committed to by Rand Water and Tshwane, in order to restore water supply in areas that were experiencing challenges, and ensure sustainable and efficient supply in the city.

The meeting reported significant improvements, as water supply has been restored in most areas. However, it noted that some parts of the city, especially in high lying areas, are still grappling with water supply challenges as the scheme recovers.

Mahlobo expressed his appreciation to the city and water utility in how they handled the situation. He urged the two institutions to continue strengthening proactive cooperation and communication for the benefit of the citizens.

The Deputy Minister also reiterated the city’s call on residents to be considerate when using water, as some reservoirs in the city are experiencing unhurried recovery due to high water usage by people in low-lying areas.

He further urged the city to include in the location how they will address the issue of leaks that is contributing to water losses in the distribution scheme. – SAnews.gov.za

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