More needs to be done to make Gauteng residents comply with stage 2 water restrictions, the Department of Water and Sanitation said earlier this week.

“Despite the restrictions, water usage has in fact risen in recent weeks largely due to the heatwave,” said departmental minister Senzo Mchunu.

The water issue was made worse by delayed summer rains in the country’s inland provinces.

This was as the department promised to supply more water to Rand Water as a temporary measure to meet drinkable water demand.

The department, however, said that municipalities must come up with measures to deal with those wasting water.

Municipalities must also start imposing penalties and address the problem of water leaks on municipal reticulation systems.

“There continues to be overuse in Gauteng, which puts a strain on the system that led to Rand Water telling its customers that they need to restrict their usage,” said Mchunu.

He emphasised that there was no crisis of water availability.

Mchunu committed to increasing the bulk water allocation to the Rand Water system as an emergency measure to address water shortages in the Gauteng metros.

He said the increased allocation would bring relief to municipalities experiencing restrictions due to high usage and demand.

“We note the increase in water usage and restrictions imposed by Rand Water in response to deteriorating water levels in their reservoirs. Therefore, we will increase temporarily the allocation for the abstraction of bulk water to Rand Water’s system to meet the demand.

“This should bring relief to some metros, namely Johannesburg, Tshwane and Mogale city district municipalities. This measure is, however, only for nine months while we find a more permanent solution to water usage and management,” said Mchunu.

He said Rand Water abstracted 4 400 megalitres of water, which had been exceeded by over 1 600 megalitres since the beginning of the spring season.

“As a country we are experiencing water scarcity; yet, we allow for up to 40% of our water to be lost to leakage. This undermines our efforts to address water challenges.”

Mchunu said a committee, consisting of his department, Rand Water and all Gauteng municipalities as well as the business sector, will also be established to coordinate water management.

Tshwane utilities and regional operations MMC Daryl Johnston also said that “more work needs to be done to get people to comply with the water restrictions”.

He said:

– Do not water or irrigate your garden using a hosepipe or irrigation system

– Do not use a hosepipe to clean your driveway or patio

– Do not use a hosepipe to wash your vehicle

– Do not fill or top up your swimming pool