Water restrictions still binding in Joburg

The City of Johannesburg says level 1 water restrictions in the city are still in place since being effected in March last year‚ despite the province having enjoyed some rain this summer.

MMC of environment and infrastructure services said: “City of Johannesburg residents are requested to reduce their water consumption patterns as water usage has increased at an alarming rate and this is of serious concern given the recent heatwave we have been experiencing since the beginning of 2018 in Gauteng.

“When the National Department of Water and Sanitation lifted the water restrictions in early March 2017‚ it was agreed that the City of Joburg would retain some level of water restrictions. Residents are therefore reminded that Level 1 water restrictions are still in place.

“With Level 1 restrictions‚ watering of gardens is not allowed between 6am and 6pm in summer months (1 Sept to 31 March). Furthermore‚ it is not allowed to wash paved areas and driveways using hose pipes‚” said De Jager.

Last week‚ Rand Water issued a warning to the City of Tshwane alerting the capital that the abstraction of water from the Vaal Dam currently exceeded the allowable licence limit as determined by the National Department of Water and Sanitation. As of January 15 Rand Water began to place a limit on its water supply in order to stay within permissible limits.

This resulted in certain high-lying areas of Tshwane left with no water.

Dam levels in Gauteng remained at 94.3%. In the Free State dam levels are at 66.1% with the Vaal Dam at 80%. The worst dam levels are in KwaZulu-Natal which are at 49.6%‚ Eastern Cape dams are at 59.6% and the Western Cape dams are at 26.6%.

Northern Cape dams are at 76.6%‚ North West dams are at 68.7%‚ Limpopo dams are 65.7% full. These figures will be updated by the department on Tuesday.

Despite the reasonably good levels of water in Gauteng‚ the Department of Water Affairs urged residents in the province and across the country to save as the nation was not yet out of the drought.

“What we are saying is that we will continue to work with municipalities‚ especially when you look at your Port Elizabeth and so on‚ looking at new sources of water because the sources that we have currently are insufficient to be able to cover the situation we are facing.

“We encourage people to adhere to the restriction imposed by municipalities. As national government we have gazetted restrictions in some areas and municipalities are continuing to impose those restrictions but you find that there is a lack of response in adhering to the restrictions‚” said Water Affairs spokesperson Sputnik Ratau.

Meanwhile‚ De Jager said residents in the City of Joburg can save water by implementing the following tips:

- Do not leave taps dripping.

- Wash your car on the grass. This will water your lawn at the same time.

- Use a watering-can instead of a hose pipe.

- Shorten your showering time.

- Use a glass of water to rinse when brushing your teeth.

- Take shallow baths. Avoid filling your bath to a depth greater than 100mm.

- Re-use water to water your garden or pot plants.