Water shedding will be introduced by Ekurhuleni Metro on Monday in a last effort to reduce water consumption in the municipality by 15%.
“The City has no choice but to take this drastic step as voluntary water saving measures by residents have averaged a savings rate of about 3.5% a week, a far cry from the required 15%,” metro spokesman, Themba Gadebe, said on Friday morning.
Recent rains have not significantly improved water levels. The country needs good rainfall for an extended period to come out of the drought of recent years.
Gadeba said water rationing measures would initially be implemented from 9pm to 5am every night, starting on Monday.
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Kempton Park will have no water between 9pm and 5am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Other areas in the metro will have no water on the other days.
“This means there will be no water during this period in the affected areas. If these measures do not achieve the required 15%, the City will ration water during the day as well.
Ekurhuleni announced water restrictions in September 2016 and further said it would start levying penalties for excessive water consumption starting from October. In terms of the restrictions, businesses were required to reduce their water consumption by 15% of their average annual consumption and households not to exceed 25kl consumption a month.
So far, about 3 000 business units and 41 000 households have exceeded their allocated water usage. Penalties levied during October amount to R1.7 million.
“The City urges residents to continue adhering to water restrictions and implement water saving measures.”
Restrictions include no watering of gardens during the day, no use of hosepipes and no filling of swimming pools. Water saving measures include fixing of leaking pipes, taking five minute showers instead of using a bathtub, using a cup to brush teeth. More water saving tips can be found on the Ekurhuleni website www.ekurhuleni.gov.za.
Residents are encouraged to report any water leakages or pipe bursts to the call centre on 0860 543 000. The City is improving measures to respond timeously to water loss in public areas.
For any enquiries pertaining to water rationing, restrictions and to report individuals who continue to disregard the current interventions, residents may use the following email: savewater@ekurhuleni.gov.za
