Pretoria - The City of Tshwane has stressed the consistent load shedding and persistent high temperatures will result in shortages of water supply.
Similarly, Rand Water also announced water restrictions.
Last week, the City asked consumers to use water sparingly as rising temperatures could lead to possible water shortages as reservoirs ran low.
On Saturday that concern was no longer a “false alarm”; Utility Services and Regional Operations MMC Daryl Johnston said Rand Water had informed the municipality of its intention to control the flow of water to the municipality to reduce consumption.
Johnston said the announcement came as no surprise as the water utility had earlier announced there was a significant increase in water usage across Gauteng; should it continue, water restrictions would have to be implemented.
He said despite this warning, water usage in Tshwane had increased beyond the agreed-upon limit.
Johnson said the water restrictions could not have come at a worse period as this time of year was often characterised by high temperatures, limited rainfall, and raised consumption while load shedding had impacted on pumping stations’ capability to maintain the full flow of water to reservoirs.
These combined factors caused a serious reduction in levels of key Rand Water reservoir systems that supplied most of Gauteng and the City of Tshwane’s water.
Johnston said some areas in Tshwane were already struggling with water supply, with some going without water supply for extended periods.
“The reduced flow from Rand Water will likely make things worse. I plead with residents to make efforts to seriously limit their water usage.
“We have not yet implemented water restrictions, but they will likely be necessary unless we can lower the City’s water consumption.”
Johnston advised residents to limit watering or irrigating their gardens, avoid using hosepipes to clean driveways or wash vehicles, and to avoid filling up swimming pools. This, he said, would make a big difference to the City’s water consumption.
Johnston said: “At the moment we are asking residents for assistance to avoid this situation from worsening. I realise this is difficult with the high temperatures, but we must work to avoid the challenges we had in October last year when the temperatures were not as high.”
To make matters worse, the City will continue to experience scorching temperatures for most of the week, ranging anywhere from 33°C yesterday to 36°C today, tomorrow and Wednesday.
Temperatures are expected to go down slightly by Thursday and Friday, with highs of 29°C, the SA Weather Service said.
Pretoria News