Johannesburg Water customers will not be facing daily water shedding or rationing as some have claimed on social media platforms.
Instead, northern Pretoria and residents within Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality will from today (7 November) have their water initially cut off between 9pm and 5am every night, essentially implementing level-3 water restrictions.
There is no schedule of water shedding in @CityofJoburgZA.Schedule for planned interruptions for maintenance can be found on our website ^H
— Johannesburg Water (@JHBWater) November 6, 2016
However, the entity said level-3 water restrictions is the next step if consumers continue to show contempt for the current regulations.
The MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Anthony Still, said level-3 water restrictions, entailing water rationing, would be undesirable. “It would cause a wide-scale water service disruption and extensive damage to the water infrastructure which can result in significant water losses,” he said.
Water shedding/rationing is not happening in the @CityofJoburgZA.It is happening in Ekurhuleni municipality. ^H
— Johannesburg Water (@JHBWater) November 6, 2016
The MMC said that a 10 per cent drop in demand has been reached. But the supply from Rand Water is still 15 per cent less. This imbalance between supply and demand causes water outages, and consumers can be kept updated on the entity’s website www.johannesburgwater.co.za for what is planned to help restore reservoir levels.
“But first prize would be to have people adhere to the current level-2 restrictions. We do not want to cut off supply to businesses that run 24/7.”
There is no schedule of water shedding in @CityofJoburgZA.Schedule for planned interruptions for maintenance can be found on our website ^H
— Johannesburg Water (@JHBWater) November 6, 2016
Johannesburg is still under revised level-2 water restrictions. This means consumers cannot irrigate their gardens between 6am and 6pm, fill their pools with municipal water or wash their cars with a hosepipe.
The integrated Vaal River system, a system compromising 14 dams, is currently at a 51 per cent water level.
Meanwhile, as of 7 November, water from the Sterkfontein Dam will be released to the Vaal Dam to prevent water levels in the dam dropping below 25 per cent. If the Vaal Dam drops below 20 per cent, the takeout pumping points are compromised, Still said.
Joburg Water said that this is a sign of moving closer to water shedding.
