‘Eskom crisis’ sparks massive Gauteng water outage

Gauteng residents are warned of indefinite water cuts due to a power supply issue at Eskom’s Snowden substation.

Here’s what you need to know.

Gauteng water cuts

Power outage at Eskom substation

Rand Water on Monday said its Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Works “has been severely affected by a power supply interruption from Eskom’s Snowden high voltage substation”.

The Snowden substation was affected by a veld fire on Sunday, shortly after 4pm.

Unfortunately, the power outage “resulted in Rand Water losing 60% of its production capacity at the Zuikerbosch facility”.

Affected areas

Rand Water said the loss of power is affecting four of its major systems – Eikenhof, Mapleton, Zwartkopyes and Palmiet.

Residents in the following areas will be affected:

• City of Ekurhuleni,
• Johannesburg Water,
• City of Tshwane,
• Mogale City Local Municipality,
• Rustenburg Local Municipality, and
• Westrand Local Municipality.

Rand Water is calling on residents to reduce consumption and reserve water where possible, “as it is not known how long this Eskom crisis will last”.

How to save water

• Ensure dripping taps are closed properly.
• Repair leaking taps and toilets as soon as possible.
• Wash your vehicle on the grass and water your lawn at the same time.
• Put an empty 2L plastic bottle or a brick in the toilet’s water tank.
• Use a watering can whenever possible, instead of a hosepipe.
• Shorten your shower time and install water-reducing heads.
• Reduce the amount of bath water and avoid filling the bath to a depth greater than 100mm.
• Don’t leave the tap open while shaving or brushing your teeth; use a glass of water to rinse instead.
• Reuse bath and shower water for your garden and pot plants.
• Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to keep them hydrated for longer.
• Use an automatic washing machine on full loads only.
• Don’t let the faucet run while cleaning vegetables.

NOW READ: A hassle-free guide to saving water everyday