What you need to know about water restrictions

The City of Johannesburg is required by the Department of Water and Sanitation to reduce its water usage by 15 per cent with immediate effect.

Level 2 water restrictions have been in place in Johannesburg since November last year. The City has now introduced a water restriction tariff on domestic users, starting this month.

Why is this necessary?

The water levels in the Integrated Vaal River System have dropped below the threshold level of 60 per cent as the the Vaal Dam itself is at a shocking 35 per cent. This is due to the ongoing drought and unseasonal heat, resulting in mandatory drought mitigation measures on water usage.

In the Government Gazette of Friday 12 August, the Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation, Margaret-Ann Diedricks, in terms of item 6 (1) of Schedule 3 to the National Water Act, limited the taking of water from the Integrated Vaal River System by 15 per cent on urban water use and 20 per cent on irrigation water use – with immediate effect.

Johannesburg Water was notified by Rand Water, its bulk supplier, on 24 August that it would be reducing supply by 15 per cent effective from 6 September this year. This will be achieved by governing the flow of water through the bulk supply meters to Johannesburg Water. The entity indicated that it will be managed in a dynamic manner as the supply areas have different sensitivity characteristics and a straight 15 per cent across the board will cause outages in some areas.

What are the existing restrictions?

Level 2 water use restrictions – according to section 44 (3) of the Water Services Bylaw – states that all consumers are compelled:

•  Not to water or irrigate their gardens between 6am and 6pm
•  Only hand-held hosepipes or buckets/watering cans are allowed outside these hours. Note: This is an additional requirement
•  Not to fill their swimming pools with municipal water
•  Not to use hosepipes to wash their cars or to clean paved areas and driveways with water
•  If borehole water is being used, this must be clearly indicated.

It is worth stating that over 40 per cent of water used in Gauteng is for gardening use. If householders comply with the restrictions above, the 15 per cent reduction target will easily be achieved.

Metro police have been requested to monitor compliance, and fines will be issued. Residents can report non-compliance by phoning their 24/7 hotline, 011 758 9650.

What are the water restriction tariffs that will now become effective?

When the tariffs were approved by the City for the 2016/17 year, which commenced in July, water restriction tariffs were approved, but to be implemented only if necessary. This is now the case and these tariffs will apply from September until the drought situation is over.

The restriction tariffs are imposed in a stepped manner – 10 per cent extra on consumption between 20 000 litres and 30 000 litres per month; 20 per cent on consumption between 30 000 and 40 000 litres per month and 30 per cent on consumption above 40 000 litres per month.

This is illustrated in the table below. Note: One kilolitre = 1 000 litres.

What will happen if demand does not reduce by 15 per cent?

If these measures are not effective in reducing demand by 15 per cent, then the Johannesburg water system will face the risk of outages. This has further knock-on effects as outages allow air into the system which causes water hammer and an increased likelihood of bursts. So, residents are requested to take this seriously.

What else is Johannesburg Water doing to contain water leakages?

The entity has ongoing programmes to manage water leakages and usage such as:

•  Active leakage detection and repair teams will be operating, and water network pressure modulation through 793 pressure reducing valves (PRVs) at strategic locations in the system will save 29.6 billion litres per annum
•  The replacement of 900km of the water reticulation pipes which have the most bursts over a four-year period. This began in the 2013/14 financial year and is ahead of schedule.
• The installation of low flush water cisterns in Soweto
•  Johannesburg Water encourages the use of boreholes as an alternative source of water for non-potable purposes.

The Borehole Water Association of Southern Africa indicated that they have experienced an increase of between 15 per cent and 20 per cent in the demand for boreholes since the campaign began in February.

What is the weather prognosis?

We may well be in for a dry, early spring, but there are prospects for good rains from late November, early December. Should this happen and the Vaal system is able to recover, then these restrictions will be lifted.

Statement issued by:

MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, councillor Anthony Still.

For further information contact:

Tidimalo Chuene – Johannesburg Water: 011 688 1577; 082 604 6727

Eleanor Mavimbela – Johannesburg Water: 011 688 6672; 071 313 6327

Anda Mbikwana – Office of the MMC: 011 587 4309; 072 408 2341.