Saving water remains vital in Tshwane
The Tshwane metro has urged residents to save water as the region continues to exceed bulk water limits.
As the country kick-starts the national water week campaign, the Tshwane metro has warned residents to save the commodity as the region continues to exceed the bulk supply limit.
Tshwane metro utility services and operations MMC Phillip Nel said the metro had received a notice from Rand Water, flagging that the water distribution network was under pressure because of the water demand that was consistently exceeding the supply.
Nel said although most dams in the province were full, an increase in water demand usually placed pressure on the capacity of the supply network and that of water treatment plants.
“This results in Rand Water’s reservoirs getting low. They then need to limit usage to prevent the reservoirs from running out of water, which is the case in the current situation,” he said.
“Their (Rand Water) infrastructure can only purify and distribute a certain amount of water and currently, we (Tshwane and other Gauteng municipalities) are exceeding Rand Water’s capacity,” he said.
Nel said less water demand was paramount in stabilising the supply.
“The total usage during this warmer period is too high and needs to be reduced.”
Nel said the metro’s water restrictions implemented last year, remained in place. He urged residents to use water wisely to avoid challenges to the supply of drinkable water.
“By acting now and doing our part to be careful not to waste water, we will avoid any further restrictions or greater challenges in the future.”
While the metro raised issues of exceeding water supply, Nel said supply from Rand Water was not shrinking but rather that the water demand was growing due to population growth and economic development.
This happened as Rand Water revamped the Lesotho Highlands water system to increase water provision infrastructure capacity.
“Gauteng is a water-scarce area and growing the water supply to the area is an increasingly difficult task.”
The metro obtains 79% of its water from Rand Water.
September 2020, the Tshwane metro announced that it was facing restrictions in its bulk water supply and had exceeded limits. This was further exacerbated by the dwindling levels of the Vaal dam last year.
Tshwane metro implemented the following restrictions:
– No watering or irrigation of gardens with hosepipes or sprinkler systems between 06:00 and 18:00.
– No washing of vehicles with hosepipes.
– No filling of swimming pools.
Meanwhile during this water week, Tshwane environmental management and parks division said it would host clean-up and educational activities to raise awareness of the importance of water conservation.
Environment and agriculture management MMC Dana Wannenburg said he would join the national department of water and sanitation and the Hennops Revival organisation in their planned environmental awareness activities on 19 and 22 March.
This week is #NationalWaterWeek! 💧
Let's show our appreciation for the water that fuels our economy and sustains our ecosystems. Rain or shine, we always need to use our water wisely.
Conservation is a way of life!#RandWater #KnowBetterDoBetter #ValueWater #WaterIsLife [NS] pic.twitter.com/8RCbYydqA3— Rand Water (@Rand_Water) March 16, 2021
Dam Status & Total Storage Capacity in the Integrated Vaal River System
8 March 2021
Remember to continue to be #waterwise #usewaterresponsibly #knowbetterdobetter
Please click here for daily dam level updates: https://t.co/hz9uoWx1ZF
[LE] pic.twitter.com/TlUa9t45MH— Rand Water (@Rand_Water) March 9, 2021
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