EXPLAINED: Gauteng has been overusing its water allocation for over a year

Gauteng water utility Rand Water has found that the province’s residents have been using more water than they should have for over a year.

The province has, like many across the country, battled with crippling water outages. Due to the current crisis, Rand Water has implemented level 1 water restrictions to limit non-essential water usage.

In a report this week, the utility detailed the consumption patterns of citizens in Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni.

Combined, all three metros have not been under the agreed-upon target since 2 October 2023.

This means that for a year, more water has been consumed than agreed upon with Rand Water.

Revised target for Gauteng

A revised target aims to drop consumption from 2 926mls to 2 048mls per day in Gauteng. But how can the new target be met if the old target hasn’t been for the past year?

Water management expert from the University of South Africa, Professor Anja du Plessis, said cities should not run dry if municipalities fix leaks and burst pipes, promote water conservation and plan accordingly.

She later added that municipalities and their customers need to adhere to restrictions.

ALSO READ: Supply from Lesotho Highlands cut, so councils must fix and enforce water restrictions

The City of Johannesburg

The City of Johannesburg has been above the target and over-consuming for a year now, since 21 August 2023.

The closest the consumption has been to the new proposed target was 15 months ago, on 10 July 2023.

The City of Tshwane

The City of Tshwane has been above the target for 17 months now, since 15 May 2023.

It has been briefly below target three times since 17 October 2022, with the longest uninterrupted stretch from mid-December to early January last year.

But the lowest consumption recorded was still 400mls above the new proposed target.

The City of Ekurhuleni

The City of Ekurhuleni recorded the lowest water consumption among the three municipalities, but has remained above the target for just under a year, since 30 October 2023.

While it was consistently below target between 31 October 2022 and 2 October 2023, it remained above the mark from 30 October 2023 until now.

The closest the consumption was to the new proposed target, was just over a year ago on 18 September 2023 when 652ml per day was recorded.

Impact of high water usage in Gauteng

Professor Du Plessis told The Citizen that water restrictions could worsen if Gauteng residents don’t become more conscious about how much they use.

“If water demands, use, as well as non-revenue water losses remain high and do not decrease or stabilise, and if we experience poor or below average rainfall, water restrictions will most probably escalate to higher levels”.

Rand Water added that metros with high consumption are encouraged to enhance their water conservation campaigns “and collaborate with communities to reduce water usage”.

ALSO READ: Water crisis: Level 1 restrictions implemented as demand targeted

How to become more water-conscious

Water issues have also plagued the Western Cape. The provincial government offered some tips to residents on “how to save water in your home”.

Additional reporting by Marizka Coetzer.