Extreme heat has been named as the cause for water restrictions imposed on Ballito and surrounds last week.
Service provider Sembcorp Siza Water sent out text messages on Thursday, February 20, informing residents that excessive use of water is banned until further notice.
The company said the area is experiencing an abnormally high water demand and forbade the use of hose pipes, filling of swimming pools and water features, washing of driveways and cars and irrigation systems.
In accordance with municipal by-laws anyone contravening the restriction would be liable for a R5000 fine.
The Courier met with Sembcorp Siza Water managing director Shyam Misra and technical director Kobus Fourie, who said residents do not need to panic.
Misra explained that usage jumped from the average 12 million litres a day to 18 million litres over just a few days, in the areas Sembcorp supplies – from Zimbali to Etete.
“We observed levels in our reservoir dropping and immediately did a system audit with Umgeni Water. The possibility of a leak or broken pipe was eliminated as the audit did not reveal excessive loss.
“The heat we have experienced recently lasted a while, which impacted water usage. The decision to implement restrictions was a pre-emptive measure”, said Misra.
“We wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2011 festive season when we had a total outage. There is usually approximately 36 million litres of stored water for our consumers. We throttled water outlets and did shut downs for two nights with Umgeni Water but consumption continued increasing steadily, which was when we decided to restrict.”
Ballito residents vented their frustrations on the Courier Facebook page, accusing the service provider of not having a contingency plan. Some residents claimed the company’s website showed that dams were full and it was difficult to understand why water was being restricted.
In response Misra said despite Hazelmere Dam, where water is harvested, being full, Umgeni Water’s license restricts them to a limited amount of water they can extract and treat per day. Now that water restrictions are in place they hope the reservoirs will be able to get their storage up to normal levels.
Fourie said Sembcorp Siza Water keeps in contact with estate management, municipalities and councillors to provide regular updates.
“We also have the SMS and email service but only half our consumers are registered. If more consumers were linked to us we would be able to keep you updated in situations like this. We are really pleading with residents – register and stay in contact with us.”
Misra and Fourie encouraged residents to play their part in avoiding water shortages, by conserving the precious resource.
Levels in the area’s reservoirs are already improving but restrictions will remain in place until the system is stable and shut downs will be a last resort.
Shut downs of Avondale Reservoir may also be needed and consumers will be notified via text message in this case. The general times for the shut downs are from 9pm to 6am.
Residents can register their mobile number for SMS alerts from Sembcorp Siza Water: send your details to info-sizawater@sembcorp.com or contact the customer services department on 032-946 7200 or 032 – 946 3188 (after hours). Quote your account number or the area you live in.
See water saving tips on page 14.
