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As Rand Water continues to implement level two restrictions, Gauteng residents have been urged to reduce their consumption to allow for critically low reservoirs and towers to be replenished.
The utility implemented the restrictions last week to help conserve the precious resource in the province, which has seen levels drop due to demand and consumption.
Load shedding by Eskom has also hampered the pumping of much-needed water in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, and some areas have seen taps run dry.
Speaking to The Citizen, spokesperson for Rand Water Makenosi Maroo said the restrictions apply to the entire province, including the major metros Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, without any exemptions.
“Each area will have a reservoir that feeds that specific area. So, depending on the consumption of the people living in that area, the municipality will decide [whether to implement restrictions].”
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“We are restricting the pressure, which is about 30%, so the municipality will make a decision based on the reservoirs to say for example in Tshwane a specific area is consuming too much water, they would have those restrictions, then they would monitor the reservoir and move to another area and just observe if there is too much consumption then they would put in the restriction,” said Maroo.
“If the consumption is way too high, then there would be that intermittent restriction that you will not have water for specific hours and if we are conserving water as an area then we will continue to have water,” she added.
Maroo said residents not sticking to the restrictions will be policed by the specific municipalities in the province.
“As Rand Water, we are a bulk water supplier, we supply municipalities. So, municipalities are the ones who are supposed to be enforcing because they have the water meters. They supposed to know which household is using how much. Each municipality of responsible for their areas.”
Those who do not comply with the restrictions could face hefty fines and penalties for wastage.
The Gauteng municipalities will alert residents about the reservoir levels, and related restrictions, through press releases, social media, television and radio communications.
ALSO READ: City of Tshwane implements stage 2 water restrictions
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