Johannesburg - Water supply levels in the Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni metros are perilously low, and Rand Water has cautioned residents to use water sparingly.
This is as persistent heat and severe drought take their toll on Gauteng and many other parts of the country.
Last week, the dams ran to a dangerously low level of 18 percent. And although water levels improved to between 45 percent and 47 percent over the weekend, they fell short of the required volumes to ease the supply shortages. Normal reservoir levels should be between 60 and 90 percent now.
The persistent high temperatures in Rand Water’s area of supply have placed a strain on its bulk water system, spokesman Justice Mohale said.
“The lack of rainfall has further exacerbated the situation. The high water demand is projected to cause localised problems in some parts of the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. If their levels drop, it becomes difficult for us to increase our own levels,” Mohale said.
Rand Water’s bulk supply system is concerning, yet stable. Rand Water and its municipal customers are in discussions to jointly manage the situation, while consumers are urged to use water sparingly.
Water experts said they had predicted the situation was bound to happen, adding that the country was running out of water as dam levels dropped.
The country is facing the worst drought since 1992, and some municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal have imposed water restrictions. This has resulted in reduced maize and sugar crops.
Johannesburg Water said its systems were not under pressure.
Spokeswoman Eleanor Mavimbela said reservoir levels were satisfactory and the reticulation system was also fine, but she urged residents “to continue to save water by not watering their gardens, not leaving dripping taps and taking shorter showers”.
Ekurhuleni said its systems and reticulation were fine – for now.
Spokesman Themba Gadebe said the municipality was experiencing higher consumption because of the heatwave, but it was managing its water levels.
Christine Colvin, a hydrogeologist and senior manager for the freshwater programme at the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa, said that in some municipalities in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, dam levels have been low the entire year.
KwaZulu-Natal has introduced water restrictions, while in the Western Cape, reservoir levels were 20 percent down from last year.
“The WWF is focusing on water-scarce areas, including trying to prevent mining in them. We cannot control the rain but we can control activity on this land,” Colvin said.
While the WWF was supporting Rand Water’s call to use water sparingly, it should also be making a critical input in the high-altitude water sources such as Lesotho and the Drakensberg, which were feeding Gauteng.
The Department of Water Affairs said key issues leading to water shortages were poor planning, budget constraints, supply chain management issues and inappropriate technical solutions.
In addition to those other factors were a lack of community acceptance or support, poor levels of own-revenue generation and limited expenditure capacity, poor metering and billing systems, and poorly trained and apathetic staff.
Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service forecasts rain and thundershowers today and tomorrow. Thursday and Friday are expected to be sunny.
The Star
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