Water curtailment implemented throughout eThekwini

The uMngeni-uThukela Water Board has implemented water curtailment throughout eThekwini Municipality, effective from today, to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the uMngeni system.

This follows a recent announcement made jointly by eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba and the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board.

The water curtailment is being implemented at the directive of the Department of Water and Sanitation, which issued a notice to uMngeni-uThukela Water Board to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the uMngeni system to their licensed volumes of 470 million megalitres per annum (m3/annum), meaning a reduction on the current sales and abstraction volume of 8.4%.

Xaba said the curtailment is aimed at enabling continued water availability, including during periods of below-average rainfall.

“The risk of not enforcing the abstraction limit is that should a drought occur, there would not be sufficient water in the system for uMngeni-uThukela Water to continue providing the eThekwini Municipality with a reliable water supply,” Xaba said.

Xaba emphasised that the water curtailment is not water shedding, where there is a schedule for water cuts at certain times.

“The purpose of the water curtailment is to avoid water shedding by bringing down the total volume used in a controlled manner,” Xaba said.

The mayor reiterated his call to eThekwini residents to use water sparingly to assist in reducing high water consumption.

“The demand for water in eThekwini far outstrips supply, and we continue to plead with all stakeholders – both our residential and business customers – to work with us to address this challenge. Some of the contributing factors to the high-water usage include rapid urbanisation, and aging infrastructure, which causes water leaks and illegal connections,” Xaba said.

The average water consumption in eThekwini is very high, as it is between 270 and 298 litres per capita (person) per day (l/c/d), compared to the international average of 173 l/c/d.

Xaba said the curtailment is expected to be implemented for a period of 12 months, and during this process, the city’s teams will be monitoring the system and manage excessive water demand.

In ensuring that residents are not adversely affected, the city will be implementing the following interventions:
•    Installation of restrictors in water metres to all consumers.
•    Pressure reduction in the reticulation network.
•    Metering all unmetered consumers.
•    Improving turnaround time in repairing leaks and pipe bursts through deployment of ward-based plumbers.
•    Community education in water conservation.
•    Disconnection of illegal connections. – SAnews.gov.za

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