Water crisis: Level 1 restrictions implemented as demand targeted

Gauteng is bracing for tighter water restrictions as municipalities implement level 1 restrictions to manage the province’s dwindling water supply.

The province has warned of a potential crisis if municipalities fail to restrict water usage.

The restrictions, which took effect last week following a recent water imbizo, are part of the provincial government’s measures to avert water insecurity and reduce demand without causing immediate disruptions to households.

They will run until March 2025 to ensure system stability during the hot summer months.

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Gauteng’s water challenges

Makenosi Maroo from Rand Water highlighted the province’s challenges.

“We have a high water consumption problem in South Africa, consuming 217 litres per day per person compared to the world average of 173 litres per person,” she said.

“This paints a picture of how poorly we manage water. We are introducing water efficiency models to engage municipalities on water usage.”

Municipalities across Gauteng, including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, are tasked with enforcing the restrictions.

Level 1 restrictions will curb nonessential water usage including filling swimming pools, washing cars with hoses and watering gardens during peak hours.

However, the impact will vary from region to region. The coming months are crucial for the province’s water supply.

The department of water and sanitation confirmed that maintenance work on the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme, expected to last until March 2025, continues, leading to no water deliveries from Lesotho to SA.

“We are abstracting water from the Vaal Dam, which has sufficient reserves. Therefore, there is no immediate need to source water from the Sterkfontein Dam,” said Maroo.

“While we have enough water, the issue is high consumption. Municipalities are exceeding their water consumption allocations. Residents are urged to use water sparingly.”

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Expert says municipalities must address neglected infrastructure

Water expert Prof Anja du Plessis from Unisa said while South Africa has previously relied on water from Lesotho, she emphasised the maintenance risk is currently minimal.

She said it depended on municipalities doing their part to ensure no major disruptions in water provision.

“The maintenance period will require consumers to be more mindful of their water use. Gauteng will continue to experience water outages in the short, medium and long term if local municipalities do not address their neglected water infrastructure,” Du Plessis said.

“Over 20% of treated water, supplied by Rand Water, is lost by municipalities within their respective water reticulation systems, before it even reaches the consumer. The province’s nonrevenue water is above 46%.”

In recent months, Gauteng has faced severe water challenges, with frequent outages due to aging infrastructure. In 2017, the former water and sanitation minister Nomvula Mokonyane imposed water restrictions in the province, which were lifted after six months.

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Work at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project

The ongoing maintenance at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will focus on critical infrastructure upgrades to maintain the integrity of the delivery tunnel.

The six-month planned maintenance of the tunnel will result in only 700 million cubic metres of water per annum being transferred this year, from which Rand Water draws its supply.

The maintenance will include grit-blasting the steel-lined section around the entire tunnel and reapplying corrosion protection on the tunnel lining, as well as other maintenance and repair work identified during the 2019 maintenance shutdown.

This work is expected to extend the life of the infrastructure for another 20 to 30 years.

“The infrastructure challenge needs to be addressed or we will continue to experience water outages despite our dams being full,” said Du Plessis.

As a result of the shutdown, the tunnel maintenance will lead to an 80 million metre³ shortfall in the usual annual transfer volume.

However, the department has assured that the impact on the overall Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) will be minimal, as dams such as Sterkfontein are full.

According to the department, an analysis was undertaken in May 2023 to assess the risk to the IVRS’ performance as a result of the outage and to determine the impact of the shutdown on water availability to users in South Africa.

“This means the closure of the tunnel for maintenance will not disrupt supply to Rand Water supply to Gauteng and other provinces,” said spokesperson Sanku Tsunke.

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