Tshwane water spike: ‘Use less water or have none’

City of Tshwane residents have been urged to reduce their water consumption, or face the possibility of no water.

Council spokesperson Lindela Masingo said the city experienced high water consumption by residents and businesses, despite calls to use water sparingly.

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“The soaring temperatures have led to a substantial increase in water usage, which has pushed our water supply system to its limits, putting our reservoirs under immense pressure.

“If this trend continues, it could potentially lead to serious water shortages across the city,” he said.

This week, Tshwane residents complained of having low to no water pressure, with various water cuts reported in areas including Raslouw, Erasmus kloof, Sunnyside, parts of the CBD, Wallmannsthal and Rietvallei.

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Pretoria North resident Francois Rabe said he repeatedly reported the low water pressure, with no luck. “My water pressure is only 1.8KPI and, according to regulations, it has to be 4KPI.

“I have a solar geyser on my roof and it won’t fill up due to the low pressure. My washing machine gives me an error of low water pressure. How I am supposed to do my washing?” he asked.

A resident, Bennie van Niekerk, said the city urged residents to save water, but didn’t bother fixing the leaks. “In President Steyn Street, a water leak was left unattended for three months,” he said.

Not all losses due to leaks

Nonprofit WaterCAN’s executive manager, Dr Ferrial Adam, said the water losses for Tshwane were estimated at 126 446 711Kl (34%) of water. Not all of the losses were due to leaks, he said.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tshwane regional chair Obakeng Ramabodu said the EFF in Tshwane will be taking decisive action to address the issue of water supply failure in Ikageng and other sections of Mamelodi.

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Ramabodu said water was a constitutional right for every citizen and accused the DA coalition-run council of prioritising some areas over the townships.

Mayor Cilliers Brink said the City’s urban management teams were hard at work to restore basic services.

“The teams have attends to core services such as cutting grass, patching potholes, marking roads, fixing street lights and cleaning illegal dumping sites.”