An update on water restrictions around the country

Some areas around the country have been hit by stricter water restrictions recently and despite some heavy rainfall, the SA Weather Services have said that drought recovery will take years.

The good news is that heavy rains are expected to fall across the country during November, December and January. The bad news is that this is not enough to replenish the water reservoirs that have been depleted due to the extreme drought of the past two years. This means water restrictions across the country are here to stay.

Here are some updates on water restrictions:

Ekurhuleni

The City of Ekurhuleni has announced stricter water usage restrictions. In August, the Water and Sanitation Department announced that the city had only achieved a 0.8 percent saving rate compared to the required 15 percent water saving since the implementation of water restrictions. According to spokesman Themba Gadebe, residents who use more than 25 litres of water will be charged a 10 percent punitive rate.

Tshwane

The City of Tshwane had a rough past weekend after experiencing water cuts implemented by Rand Water to reduce consumption. The City deployed water tankers to some areas including Atteridgeville and Laudium which had been without water since Saturday. They have urged residents to use water sparingly as they instituted plans to alleviate the crisis.

Johannesburg

Water reservoirs around Johannesburg are also running dry and the weekend heatwave made matters worse when parts of city experienced water shortages. Even though the city has saved 4.6 percent of water since the water restrictions were implemented, areas around Midrand and Kyalami suffered the most after the reservoirs ran empty. The City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo told news outlets that more than 10 water tanks had been sent to the affected areas as part of Operation Hydrate. As a matter of urgency, they also distributed 5-litre bottles of water to residents who had been without water for 36 hours. In Johannesburg, reservoirs in Grand Central in Midrand and Ormonde, Diepkloof and Orlando East in Soweto were running low. For updates on water supplies in JHB, click here.

Cape Town

In Cape Town, level 3 water restrictions have been implemented, which means residents can only use water for essentials. The City of Cape Town has put a total ban on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers to water gardens or wash vehicles. Alderman Ernest Sonnenberg, Mayco, member for utility services said on Tuesday, 1 November that they are in the process of increasing manpower to decrease turnaround time for fixing burst pipes and leakages once reported by the public. Find out the latest on the level 3 water restrictions here.