Water wasters warned

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Published Sep 10, 2016

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Johannesburg - Two weeks - that's how long residents of Joburg have to heed the city's plan to curb water wastage or face hefty fines imposed by the Joburg metro police department's by-law enforcement unit.

“There won't be fines for at least two weeks,” said JMPD spokesman Wayne Minnaar yesterday.

“After that, no more excuses, no more warnings. The JMPD will enforce the water by-law like any other.”

The fines would be up to R1 500 for each offence.

“Where people complain to us about water wastage, officers will respond and issue fines. Misuse of water will not be tolerated.”

Last month, the Department of Water and Sanitation ordered Joburg to slash consumption by 15 percent in urban areas and 20 percent in rural areas immediately to limit the use of water from the thirsty Vaal River system, introducing water restriction tariffs.

Anthony Still, the member of the mayoral committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services and a former executive director at Johannesburg Water, said the fines would work like traffic fines.

He said the JMPD hotline to report non-compliance was “not working 100 percent” but hoped it would be in the weeks to come. “We do want people to realise the City of Joburg has had level 2 restrictions for months but no one has really taken them seriously. The reality is that if Rand Water chokes down our supply into reservoirs, then we get technical problems... We’ll have water interruptions and then people will really moan. “People with automatic irrigation systems, that's the real challenge - and we don't want people gratuitously filling swimming pools that have been empty for a while.”

Still said a team of council scientists had raised concerns about the increased use of boreholes.

“They're worried because they're not sure how big the aquifer is, and that with the decanting, dolomite could drop the levels and create a risks for sinkholes.”

Mike Muller, a visiting adjunct professor at Wits University’s school of governance, said South Africans should be concerned about the possibility of a second year of poor rainfall and “prepare for it in case”.

“A concern is the department and the metro municipalities are not reporting to the public about water use and savings so it is difficult for people to know whether their efforts are having an effect.”

Johannesburg Water said usage in the Vaal River system was calculated at about 330 litres a person a day, well above the international average of 173 litres a person.

Marius Claassen, research group leader of water governance at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, believed fines would force residents to use less water, and result in the 15 percent savings.

Though levels in the Vaal Dam were low, it stored water poorly. “The dam is standing at 32.5 percent - it was 63.7 percent last year but it is an inefficient storage system for water because it's shallow. The 25 biggest dams in the Vaal River system are at 51 percent of total storage capacity, whereas it was at 70 percent for the same period last year.

“While we're not running dry yet, responsible use now will ensure sufficient water well into the future.”

Experts are unsure whether coming months will bring relief. The SA Weather Service said there is the possibility of a moderate La Niña (which should bring wetter weather) developing in late spring and into the first parts of summer.

What can you do

Report leaks in the municipal system.

Repair household leaks, dripping taps or toilets.

Don’t let taps run unnecessarily.

Use drought-tolerant plants in your garden.

Capture rainfall on your property, divert to plants or a storage tank.

Don’t open the hot water and wait for it to arrive if you only need a little to wash your hands.

Don’t overuse your borehole.

Saturday Star

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