As temperatures continue to soar, many residents in Germiston have been left without water.
The GCN contacted the metro to get some clarity on the situation.
The spokesman for the metro, Themba Gadebe, responded to the GCN’s questions:
Q: Is the water outage in Germiston going according to schedule? If so where can the community get a copy of the schedule?
A: The metro’s water restrictions schedule will be communicated to all councillors, and through media platforms when the entire metro is restricted.
Currently we are focusing short term restrictions on zones that are critical with very low reservoir levels, to prevent reservoirs going dry.
Notices of water interruptions are then issued per reservoir zone.
Q: Why were residents not told there would be a water outage?
A: The metro is continuously monitoring levels in reservoirs and is trying by all means to prevent situations of no water.
Q: When will water be restored to affected areas?
A: The areas that were without water yesterday (November 10) should have water later today, if they do not already have supply.
The metro has, however, reduced the pressure to maintain levels in the reservoirs.
Q: What are the different stages of water shedding/restrictions and what does each stage mean?
A: Stage One: No watering of gardens, filling of swimming pools, washing of pavements and low pressure inducement (where you have pressure reducing valves).
Stage Two: No watering of gardens, filling of swimming pools, washing of pavements and low pressure inducement, plus water restrictions once a day, usually between 10pm and 3am.
Stage Three: No watering of gardens, filling of swimming pools, washing of pavements and low pressure inducement, plus restrictions twice a day, usually between 10pm and 3am and 9am and 3pm, and/or installation of water limiting devices.
Q: What stage are we in?
A: Areas of Germiston and Bedfordview that do have a water supply are considered to be stage three and beyond.
However, restrictions are currently confined to evenings at this stage.
Q: Is a lack of maintenance adding to the water outage?
A: The current water situation is caused by the consistent high temperatures and lack of rain resulting in very high water usage.
Q: What steps is the metro taking to deal with the water shortage?
A: The metro is constantly monitoring levels in its reservoirs, implementing water restrictions in areas where needed to ensure that these levels are stable and providing water tankers in areas where there is no water.
Water and sanitation department officials are also on high alert for burst pipes and leaks which may further exacerbate the situation.
Members of the community are encouraged to report such matters to the municipal services call centre on 086 054 3000.
Do you have water? Join the conversation #NoWater
Some of the related articles:
Save water now — some Germiston areas affected by water shortages
DA says metro hasn’t warned residents about water problems
ALERT: These Germiston areas have no water
