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Tshwane water crisis: Mayor requests assessment as areas run dry
Some regions have had little to no water for days.
Rietvlei dam. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/NJR ZA
Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams on Monday requested “urgent engagement with Rand Water” to address the water crisis in parts of the metro.
Residents in Soshanguve, Pretoria East, and Laudium had been at the mercy of water supply issues since 2022.
Tshwane water crisis
The City of Tshwane requested an assessment of the current water supply issues on Monday. This comes after Mayor Williams met with the Rand Water CEO a week ago.
Williams said the City of Tshwane is committed to implementing water-saving initiatives and reducing consumption to “prepare for the coming heatwave”.
“Over the last week, we have seen some areas in the city run dry. In responding to this, we throttled some reservoirs and deployed water tankers.”
The following areas are affected by the ongoing water crisis, and have had “little to no water for days now”, according to the mayor:
- Soshanguve,
- Laudium,
- Parts of Pretoria East:
- Mooikloof,
- Grootfontein.
Water reservoirs
As confirmed by the City of Tshwane, the Magaliesburg reservoir is at 34% and the Rosslyn reservoir at 53%, which is “slightly concerning but we should be able to make it through the day”.
The Atteridgeville reservoir, which also supplies the Kalafong hospital, is empty. However, a dedicated water tanker has been deployed to assist at Kalafong.
The Bronberg reservoir has recovered and is at 65% as of Monday morning, while the Heights reservoirs are at 97%.
The Laudium reservoir improved from 5.21% on Sunday to 25% on Monday morning.
Increased water supply
However, the city’s efforts are in vain if there is no supply to feed the reservoirs, some of which have completely run dry.
Williams explained: “In some cases we have isolated reservoirs in their totality only for them to recover by a very minimal percentage, indicating that their supply is simply inadequate.”
The only way forward, he said, was for increased water supply to these areas “in order to provide adequate water levels”.
Plans to resolve water crisis
Back in October 2022, the City of Tshwane said it would improve water-generation capacity by optimising existing plants, as well as building new ones.
At the time, MMC for Utility Services, Daryl Johnston, said the metro could produce up to 90% of its water, but it would unfortunately “come with a big price tag”.
Watch: Tshwane’s water plans
“We need to make the right approaches to both the national government and capital markets.”
If implemented successfully, Johnston said the project would span over five years and would “bring about change to the lives of residents of Tshwane”.
Meanwhile, Joburg water urged residents to use water sparingly as ongoing power cuts have led to reservoirs not filling up to sufficient levels.
Areas affected include Honeydew, Linden, Hursthill and Brixton.
ALSO READ: Parts of Centurion without water for more than a week
Gauteng water restrictions
Level one water restrictions were implemented in Gauteng back in September and will remain in place until 31 March.
During this time, residents are prohibited from using hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, and clean driveways – use grey water instead.
Swimming pools and water features may only be filled up between 6am and 6pm to ensure the systems are kept stable.
